HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — It's been more than a week since three young boys were found abandoned in a Houston-area apartment with their dead brother whose body was decomposing in another room.
There are still so many unanswered questions in this case, but the biggest question on everyone's mind — how can I help?
In northwest Houston resides a non-profit business called Oak Forest Foster Closet. It's a place where people taking in children from the CPS system can come for supplies.
“I will say that that story that you guys talked about was probably the worst that I’ve ever heard of but we have kids every single week that have one aspect of that story, whether it be neglect or hunger," said Nicole Aboudaher, Founder of the Oak Forest Foster Closet.
Aboudaher and her husband have two biological kids and ended up adopting three children out of foster care.
"We decided we were done with that road but we still wanted to help somehow," she said.
From her own experience as a foster mom driving to the suburbs for supplies, she started the Oak Forest Foster Closet to meet the need in the city of Houston.
Since opening in February, she's kept track of 550 visits from caseworkers to foster families with kids in tow.
“We always need underwear, socks, new is wonderful but we do take very good used condition, and big kids shoes is one of our biggest consistent needs.”
Each shoe, a reminder of each child out there, who needs a little light during their darkest days.
“Having an awareness that it does happen, that it does go on, that there are kids that do not have their needs meet on a daily basis and to be able to help fill those needs here at the closet is wonderful," she said.
Aside from all the material needs, one of their biggest requests is for volunteers. Click here for more information.
Mom of abandoned children to appear in court
The mother charged in one of the most horrific cases of child abuse and neglect is set to face a judge Friday.
Investigators said Gloria Williams failed to protect her children from her boyfriend, Brian Coulter. He's charged with killing her 8-year-old son, Kendrick Lee.
The couple is accused of leaving the 8-year old boy's body in an apartment with his three brothers, for nearly a year.
Williams is charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence (human corpse). Her bond was set at $900,000.
Her attorney plans to request a lower bond during Friday's hearing.
"We gotta dig into the facts of this case and see what part she played in it. I mean, it’s been played out in the press, so far, that she’s just as guilty as anybody else, this is her boyfriend. We don’t know that yet," Neil Davis III said. "We need to start looking at the case and see what’s going on before we – everybody – finds her guilty. She’s not guilty yet.”
Prosecutor Andrea Beall will argue for a higher bond at a Friday hearing in order to keep Williams behind bars.
Coulter is charged with murder and remains jailed in a mental health facility on a $1 million bond. He will not appear in court until December 12.