MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN: In a quiet neighborhood in Milwaukee, a sinister secret lay hidden within the walls of a seemingly ordinary house. Two young brothers, aged 7 and 9, were confined to a nightmarish existence of neglect and abuse. Their harrowing story came to light on a fateful Thursday, July 13, 2023, when they took a brave and desperate step to escape their living nightmare.
The boys, bruised and bloodied, had endured unimaginable conditions inside their home. The police and neighbors were shocked to find the boys wandering naked in the streets like "cavemen," covered in feces and appearing as though they had never seen the sun before. One 13-year-old witness described the distressing sight, while long-time neighbors were unaware that any children lived in the house.
Who are Katie Koch and Joel Manke?
Katie Koch, 34, and Joel Manke, 38, are at the center of the distressing case. Koch is the mother of the two young boys, while Joel Manke is the stepfather. Both individuals are facing multiple felony charges, including neglect and false imprisonment, for their alleged roles in subjecting the boys to years of abuse and neglect. A 13-year-old girl told cops that she saw a “naked person walking on the sidewalk like a ‘caveman,'” the document stated. “Like they had never seen the sun before,” the same young witness also told WDJT, while another neighbor who’d been there 30 years said he had no idea there were even children in the house.
Responding officers were met with a horrifying sight as they entered the boys' home. It was a nightmarish hoarding situation, with walls smeared in feces and trash piled so high that the floor was barely visible. The boys' bedroom had boarded-up windows and a lock outside, signifying the extent of their imprisonment. Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis aptly described it as something out of a horror movie, revealing that the boys were essentially confined to their room for much of their lives. “It was something out of a horror movie,” Assistant District Attorney Mallory Davis told an initial hearing for the mother and stepdad, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “These children were essentially confined to their room for much of their lives.” The boys were bruised and bloodied and had so much feces in their hair it had to be shaved off later in a hospital, the affidavit said.
Confessions and social media deception
The boys' stepfather, Joel Manke, admitted to boarding up the windows and locking them in their room. He justified his inaction, stating that he had to "pick his battles" with the boys' mother, Katie Koch, to avoid arguments. Manke “stated that he knew how the children were living was not right but he had to ‘pick his battles’ with [their mom] Koch to avoid arguments,” officers said. “Manke stated that he never contacted police or schools to report the children because he doesn’t believe in doing that to family members.” The mother, meanwhile, admitted that the boys never went to school and had not been checked by a doctor in years. “Koch stated that she ‘f—ed up'” and knew “her boys deserve better,” the affidavit said of her interview under oath.
During interviews, Koch admitted that the boys had never attended school and had not received medical attention for years. She acknowledged her failings and expressed remorse, acknowledging that her boys deserved better. Yet she used her Instagram account to paint a very different picture, showing a happy family where the boys spent time with their grandmother, played in the snow, enjoyed baking and decorating for Christmas, and went on fun road trips. For Halloween that year, the family dressed up - Manke and Koch in onesies, and one of the children in a Paw Patrol outfit, with a relative dressed as a ladybug.
In November 2019, Koch showed off her son Chase's baking skills, posting images of a seemingly-delighted child with a tray of brightly colored cupcakes. Over the holidays in 2019, one son was depicted decorating the house with Christmas garlands, and another in a 'Happy New Year' outfit. The wholesome family images continued throughout 2020, with the boys being shown playing in the snow, and Koch being praised Manke as a wonderful stepfather. The last photos with the children were posted in January 2021, celebrating Manke's 36th birthday, the Daily Mail reported.
Appalling living conditions
As the investigation unfolded, it became apparent that the boys had been living in squalor for years, lacking basic necessities such as toilet training and haircuts. Their living conditions were appalling, and they had been deprived of education and social interaction, leaving them severely damaged emotionally and developmentally.
Neighbors were shocked by the revelations as the house appeared quiet and unremarkable from the outside. A resident on the street, Christine Eder, said the children looked like "they had never been outside." She added, "They were just walking different. Their hair looked like it had never been brushed, never been cut. They didn't know the outside existed." Eder said the detached house is normally quiet, and she had not seen anyone go in and out before, let alone heard children. She was taken aback by the scene unfolding outside the normally unremarkable home, and she kept watch over the boys while her husband called 911.
'No kid should have to endure that sort of experience'
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he hopes those responsible for the "terrible" treatment of the children "see justice." "I'm glad that those children were able to escape, that's a terrible, unfortunate situation," he said. "No kid should have to endure that sort of experience, especially not with relatives of theirs, in any home, in any community in Milwaukee, or Wisconsin, or the United States. I hope those people who were responsible, their parents, see some justice on this," Johnson added.
Davis, the prosecutor, told the couple’s hearing that the boys are “completely uneducated” and not even potty trained, according to WDJT. “These children have been horribly damaged from their mother’s actions,” Davis said, adding, “They are, essentially at this point, unable to function in society.” Katie Koch and Joel Manke face multiple felony charges, including neglect and false imprisonment. Their bail was set at $30,000 and $6,500, respectively. If convicted, they could face prison sentences of up to 43 years and fines of up to $120,000, per the New York Post.
