‘World’s most inbred household’ tree exposes horror clan beset by deformities
WARNING, DISTRESSRING CONTENT: The Colt family were found living in isolation in the hills of Boorowa after four generations of inbreeding went virtually unnoticed
The ‘world’s most inbred family’ were given a false name to protect their identities (Image: news.com.au)
The “world’s most inbred” family and their complex web of interrelated bloodlines including brother and sister parents can only be fully understood by looking at their family tree. The Colt family were discovered living in seclusion in the hills of Boorowa after four generations of inbreeding had gone largely undetected.
Police stumbled upon the clan’s appalling living conditions on a remote bush block in the countryside, four hours south-west of Sydney. The patriarch of the Colt family, Tim, had fathered his daughter’s children and relocated the family between rural Western and South Australia to evade detection.
However, by the time police and welfare workers discovered the farm’s living quarters in 2012, Tim had already passed away. Reports depict the area as reeking of “urine and faeces”, which were stored in open buckets scattered around the sleeping areas, alongside approximately 20 dogs.
Tim’s wife June, whose parents were siblings, had also passed away by this point, reports the Mirror. Yet at least two of her children, a sister and brother, had established a relationship of their own.
There was also another sibling couple from the next generation, who were the offspring of Tim’s favourite daughter, Betty. This pair had three children, one of whom died from a genetic disorder, according to MailOnline.
A ruling from the NSW Children’s Court concluded that the incestuous sexual practices and their detachment from society would have persisted. The court assigned the pseudonym ‘Colt’ to the family to safeguard the children’s identities, with 12 being removed due to neglect.
DNA testing disclosed that all but one of them had a condition known as homozygosity, indicating their parents were either siblings or parent and child. Many of the children exhibited a shuffling gait, spoke incoherently, and lacked basic literacy skills.
They were unkempt, introverted, unable to maintain eye contact and had never used toilet paper or a toothbrush, suffering from fungal infections and decaying teeth. It was later revealed that they were undernourished, frequently sexually abused, and assaulted.
The sale of the farm and dispersion of the family left some relatives heartbroken and discontented. The former clan is now dispersed across four states, after being removed from the communal compound by NSW’s then Family and Community Services department.
Tim Colt was born in 1943 and fathered seven children with his wife June including Rhonda, Betty, Cherry, Frank, Charlie, Paula and Martha.
He sexually abused his own daughters, particularly Betty who gave birth to 13 children. Nine of these children were among the Colt children DNA tested and five were found to be the offspring of related parents.
Now in her early 50s, Betty has 13 children and at least four grandchildren. She had at least five of her children taken away in 2012 including Billy and Bobby whom she attempted to abduct from foster care.
She covertly provided a mobile phone to the boys, then aged 14 and 15, during contact visits and devised an ‘escape plan.’ Her plan was to take them to South Australia where they would work as fruit pickers.
She is now believed to reside in NSW with one of her sons, who is currently in his 20s.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
