Woman Who Was Declared Dead Has Six Kids With Uncle

(Dec. 7) -- Authorities in Pennsylvania are investigating members of a family they say secretly raised five children, the product of a love affair between an uncle and his niece by marriage. The mother, who had been declared dead after a mysterious disappearance 17 years ago, recently gave birth to a sixth child behind bars, police said.

"Some of the children suffer health and vision issues," York City Police Detective Dana Ward wrote in an affidavit. "None of the children are at their expected education levels, and there are possible mental health issues."

Ward has charged the children's parents, Sinhue Johnson, 45, and Louann Bowers, 33, with five counts of child endangerment. The New York Times reported that Bowers ran away from home in 1993 at age 16 because she was involved with Johnson, who was married to her aunt.

York County Children and Youth Services began investigating the case in 2003, but it was unable to make a case because there was no proof the children existed and their parents refused to cooperate. Another investigation was launched in 2009 after police received an anonymous tip that the children had been seen in a dilapidated home in the 700 block of South Duke Street.

Caseworkers obtained a court order that granted them the authority to enter the family's home, but they did not find the children. Investigators did, however, take note of the squalid conditions in which they had been living. There was no electricity, running water or even a toilet, The Associated Press reported.

The investigation continued, and in August 2009 Ward finally located Bowers and the children in an east York motel. The children were placed in foster care, but charges were not immediately filed against Johnson or Bowers.

According to Ward, neither the parents nor the children, three girls and two boys ranging in age from 2 to 13, would cooperate with investigators.

"They did say that they were not permitted to talk about the family or the living conditions," Ward told the AP.

Neighbors of Johnson and Bowers on South Duke Street were shocked by news of the investigation, saying they never knew the children existed.

"I said, 'Holy heck, how did they do that?' You never heard a sound. No kids crying, no kids coming or going," neighbor Charlton Shaw, 56, told the AP.

The lack of information in the case initially hindered the investigation, police said. Authorities were unable to find any records of the children's births, schooling or medical care. As for Bowers, investigators were shocked to discover that her family had her declared legally dead in 2004.

Bowers had reportedly run away from her home in the nearby borough of East Berlin more than 17 years ago.

According to the Doe Network, an organization that works to help identify missing persons and unidentified victims, Bowers was 16 when she mysteriously vanished from her home.

"Bowers ... was last seen at her residence, in the early-morning hours of June 08, 1993," reads the DOE Network's synopsis of the case. "Bowers was reported missing ... by her parents after [they discovered] that she did not report to school. Information gathered during the investigation indicates that Bowers was involved in an amorous relationship and had mentioned running away to get married."

The Times speculates that Bowers ran off after she became romantically involved with Johnson, but her attorney, Ronald J. Gross, told the newspaper the two did not get together until she was 18.

Bowers' family was apparently in the dark about her activities. In 2003, her grandmother died, leaving her an inheritance of approximately $100,000. The following year, Bowers' family had her declared legally dead, and in 2008 her inheritance was divided among surviving family members, on the condition that they would repay it if it was wrongly distributed, the York Daily Record reported. Neither Bowers nor her attorney has indicated whether she will be seeking repayment of the money.

Little is known about how Johnson and Bowers lived their lives, and it remains unclear whether they were married. According to her attorney, he does not know if his client ever held a job. Johnson reportedly earned money by collecting and selling scrap metal.

Speaking with the Times about his client, Gross said local residents considered her "the crazy lady" because or her bizarre behavior, which included wearing a veil to hide her face.

"She had her face covered, glasses, always had the walkie-talkie on hand and was almost like the town nut, if you will," Gross told the Times.

The investigation into the case continued until July, when Johnson and Bowers were taken into custody on an unrelated weapons charge. Two months later, Ward recommended the child endangerment charges that have since been filed against the parents.

On Nov. 29, Bowers prematurely gave birth to her sixth child inside the York County Prison. Following the birth, the baby was taken to a local hospital and placed in an intensive care unit. Authorities expect the child to be placed in foster care once it is released from the hospital.

Bowers, meanwhile, is trying to better herself behind bars so she can seek employment once she is released and possibly regain custody of her children, Gross said.

"I know she's getting close to taking her GED,'' he told The York Dispatch. "When I see her, she's in good spirits and is very focused on getting her children back and putting this behind her ... and forging some type of relationship with her family.''

The children that were recovered from the hotel remain in foster care. They've all received medical treatment, and some have been enrolled in school, CBS's Crimesider reported.

Neither Gross nor the York City Police Department immediately returned calls from AOL News today.

Speaking with the AP, Ward said investigators are still trying to make sense of everything.

"I don't know what would possess them at all," Ward told the AP, adding, "There are still a lot of unanswered questions from our end because no one will talk to us."