PoorlittleNubia

Hernaked,

decomposing

bodyhad

been

dousedin

chemicals

the

Afteratoughstart,

thetwinsshould’ve

beensafewith

their

adoptiveparents...

T

winsNubiaand
Victordidn’t
havetheeasiest
startinlife.
BorninMay
2000,their
biologicalmotherhadissues
withdrugsandalcohol.
Whenthetwinswereborn,
shewastryingtogetclean.
So,Florida’sDepartmentof
ChildrenandFamilies(DCF)
agreedNubiaandVictor
couldstaywithher.
Soonafter,
Nubiawas
diagnosedwith
virilization– an
adrenalgland
disorderthat
resultsin
exaggerated
masculine
characteristics.
She’dneedsignificant
medication,manysurgeries.
Nubiahada longroadahead
of her.
Butherhomelifewas
stillchaotic.
Aged3, thetwinswere
takenofftheirmother,and
aftera briefstaywiththeir
biologicaldad,wereplaced
intofostercare.
They’dlivedinthree
WORDS:

SASKIA

MURPHY.

PHOtOS:

Rex,

MIAMI-DADe

StAte

AttORNeY’S

OFFICe

Failed until

Thered

pick-up

truck

homes already.

Heartbreaking.

The twins ended up in

the home of Jorge and

Carmen Barahona in Miami.

Jorge owned a local pest-

control business, Carmen

was a housewife.

The couple seemed the

perfect fit to be foster carers.

Authorities thought they

could offer the twins a stable

home at last.

It was the least

they deserved.

Then, when the

twins were 6, staff

at Nubia’s school

noticed the little girl

had a large bruise

on her face.

The DCF

investigated.

The Barahonas

were ordered to take Nubia to

an appointment with the

Department of Health’s

Child Protection Team.

But they didn’t show up until

a week later – and by then,

most of the bruising had faded.

Nubia had fallen, they said.

State doctors accepted the

Barahonas’ explanation.

Case closed.

A year later, in 2007, school

authorities reported Nubia,

7, was extremely thin,

always hungry, and had an

unpleasant odour.

A teacher also noted Nubia

seemed afraid of her foster

mother and was scared to talk.

So, the DCF

investigated again.

This time, the Barahonas

told them Nubia’s fragile

condition was due to her

medical condition.

Again, the case

was dropped.

The twins were

eventually adopted

by the Barahonas in

May 2009.

It should’ve been

a chance for them

to live happily

ever after.

But a year after

the Barahonas

signed the adoption

papers, the school

authorities made

similar reports about

Nubia’s well-being to the ones

in 2007.

This time, they reported

she was losing her hair.

The Barahonas told

child-protection

workers Nubia’s hair

loss was a symptom of

her condition.

The investigations

went no further.

Then, on

14 February 2011,

a road-safety officer

on patrol noticed a red

pick-up truck parked on

a motorway in West

Palm Beach.

When the truck was still

there two and a half hours later,

the officer called police.

Soon after, West Palm

Beach Fire Rescue arrived –

and as they approached the

vehicle, they realised

something was amiss.

In the passenger seat of

the truck, Victor lay close

to death.

He’d been badly burned

by chemicals.

Jorge, then 53, was found