Horror inside Niños de México shelters: Over half a century of covering up sexual abuse and violence against children

Merlyn and Wanda Beeman arrived in Mexico in 1966. The purpose of their trip was to “assess the best way to meet the needs and evangelize the people.” This led to the creation of the Niños de México program in 1967. The Beemans began taking in orphans at their home in Mexico City, attending to their basic needs — from food, clothing, and shelter to providing religious instruction and spiritual guidance.

For more than 50 years, the couple’s initiative, funded through contributions from churches and religious groups in the United States, expanded into a charitable organization that at its peak ran up to eight foster homes across the State of Mexico and Puebla. However, the façade collapsed on November 12, when an investigation conducted by Godly Response to Abuse in the Christian Environment (GRACE) uncovered evidence of decades of sexual abuse, physical violence, and psychological mistreatment of children and adolescents in these shelters.

The 256-page GRACE report details how Niños de México, a nonprofit organization founded in Missouri, U.S., faced decades of complaints from victims, witnesses, and staff against at least 20 former employees who allegedly sexually assaulted the minors under their care. The investigation also points to a suspected cover-up by its leadership and impunity for the perpetrators. Following the publication of the GRACE report, the organization announced on the same day the end of its operations in Mexico, “effective immediately.” Niños de México had operated for 58 years and, according to the board’s statement — which makes no mention of the report’s findings — “countless lives have been blessed by this organization.”

“Disturbing events” in homes

According to the investigation, the abuses began in 1968 when the Beemans acquired a center in the municipality of San Vicente Chicoloapan, in the State of Mexico, where 25 minors were housed under their care. These children lived communally, sharing meals, attending school together, and participating in religious services. The couple also worked to raise funds through donations from the United States.

One witness claims to have witnessed “disturbing events” involving teenagers around 17 years of age. This same witness recounts that the children spoke openly about the Beemans’ sexual abuse. The couple’s pattern of abuse primarily targeted young people between the ages of 14 and 17. Those who tolerated the abuse received privileges, such as better clothing and private rooms. Furthermore, overcrowding in the homes meant that up to three children shared a single bed.

Another survivor stated that the Beemans used religion as a tool to control and manipulate the children, while simultaneously acting in ways that undermined the principles they professed. The Niños de México operation expanded to homes located in Huexotla and Texcoco, in the State of Mexico, where the children were separated by sex in adjacent buildings, as well as in Cholula, Puebla.

Following a series of complaints in 1978, the couple, along with 12 or 13 children, abruptly left Mexico under pressure from authorities and church members who supported the mission. “The Beemans’ decision to take these children suggests a possible attempt to maintain control or conceal information about the situation in Mexico,” the report states. Donald and Viola Bader took over as executive directors of Niños de México. They responded to the accusations against their predecessors. According to a witness, they blamed the children for having had sexual relations with the Beemans and called them the “perverts of the world.” Wanda Beeman died, while her husband, Merlyn, denied the accusations and declined an interview request from GRACE.

During the 1980s, sexual abuse, physical violence, and psychological mistreatment became a habitual practice in the other homes that were part of Niños de México. From the 1980s until the early 2000s, Fidel Núñez, Fernando Soriano and his wife Martha, Jesús Ríos, and Salvador Carrizosa served as caretakers, and during that time faced multiple complaints of sexual abuse against the girls and adolescents in the program. The investigation notes that these abuses and complaints occurred during Terry Stine’s tenure as executive director of the institution, a position he held from 1987 to 2007. “There were times when children would manipulate situations to get people in trouble, and these were investigated by the psychologist, with no findings,” Stine stated in an interview for the GRACE investigation.

Other alleged perpetrators, such as Israel Ávalos and Noé Flores Floriano, were added to the list of names in the early 2000s at Niños de México. Ávalos was reported for severely beating children in their rooms, while Flores Soriano, one of the first children to participate in the Niños de México program in the 1960s, joined the institution in 2000 as the doctor responsible for the minors’ health.

Various complaints accuse him of diagnosing children at the center without the presence of a responsible adult, and showing “odd behavior” during these examinations. According to one report, he began by “licking and sucking on” the children’s faces. He later sent images of his genitals to the girls and eventually began abusing them during consultations. Flores Soriano remained at the institution until 2016, when he was finally removed due to his conduct.

A stick with a Bible verse

Among the punishments described, the report states that children were forced to stand in the sun for long periods while carrying heavy cement blocks, confined in a dark storage room for hours without food, or made to stand with their noses against the wall.

One specific name mentioned is Luis Escutia, who also spent part of his childhood in Niños de México. “A particularly distressing form of punishment involved the use of a wooden stick or ‘wand’ inscribed with a Bible verse, which house parents used to hit children on their buttocks or hands,” a victim recalled in the report. The investigation notes that these punishments, administered by several caretakers — including Luis Escutia and others — seemed to perpetuate the disciplinary methods they themselves had experienced within the institution.

An investigation by Mexican authorities implicated a total of seven alleged abusers. Of those accused, only five formal investigations were opened, resulting in the arrest of Javier Colocia, who was formally charged with sexual offenses against minors in Mexico in 2022.

That same year, a former U.S. intern who had worked at Niños de México filed formal complaints with the organization’s board, led by Steve Ross since 2012, who had also ignored accusations against his staff at the shelters for decades. The response this individual received from the board regarding the atrocities he witnessed inside the foster homes was: “The Board and Staff will review each of the cases you have presented to ensure that actions taken in the past have been effective and will also evaluate what further actions may be necessary. Where needed, outside counsel will be consulted.”

In July, officials from the State of Mexico government raided the Niños de México facilities, confiscated documents, and removed 37 minors from the orphanages. According to the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office, the procedures revealed potential violations of the rights of children and adolescents. Consequently, authorities immediately secured the homes known as Jireh, Bethel, Génesis, Esperanza, and Ágape.

The minors were placed under the custody and protection of the State of Mexico System for the Integral Development of the Family. The local office of the Human Rights Commission was also present during the operation to ensure the rights of all involved were protected.

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