Abuse survivors share frustration over case involving Circle of Hope Girls Ranch

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Abuse survivors are calling for changes at the state level as dozens have already filed lawsuits over their treatment at reformatory schools for boys and girls in Southwest Missouri.

On Tuesday, survivors shared their frustration over the handling of the case involving Circle of Hope Girls Ranch nears Stockton. The owners, Boyd and Stephanie Householder, are facing over 100 felony charges and were scheduled to go to trial in November 2023. The latest trial date is now set for October 2024.

“It’s incredibly frustrating to see,” Maggie Drew said. “For some of us, it feels like we’ve been waiting for decades.”

Maggie Drew attended Circle of Hope Girls Ranch from 2007 to 2013.

“I didn’t leave until January of 2013, and whenever I did, it was just absolutely heart wrenching to believe that it stayed open for so long afterwards,” Drew said. “Especially because so many of us did say something to family or friends or even law enforcement. So little came of it that it was absolutely devastating.”

It’s people like Drew who Amanda Householder said gave her the strength to fight against her parents.

“I stand here still to this day, feeling like I’m asking the state of Missouri to do something,” Amanda said. “Myself and many others have basically lost our childhood to the state. It breaks my heart knowing that there are still kids out there running away, trying to escape these places.”

Amanda said she filed a lawsuit against her parents, which was resolved. Now Boyd and Stephanie Householder await trial in criminal court, and Amanda said they’ve already been given too much freedom.

“They locked up so many girls, refused the medical attention, refused them access to anyone,” Amanda said. “The fact that they are off GPS monitoring bracelets, it’s a backstab in my opinion. The fact that they are allowed to show up to a place where kids are and have a little bit more freedom than they gave the girls is infuriating to me.”

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said it’s devastating knowing there are still reformatory schools out their abusing kids.

“We’ve had in Missouri over the last four or five years scandals at four or five of these facilities,” SNAP Volunteer Director David Clohessy said. “These schools are under-regulated, largely hidden in remote areas. They are private, they’re independent with almost no scrutiny.”

With the Householder’s trial five months away, survivors said there is still work that needs to be done.

“Criminal charges don’t guarantee a criminal conviction,” Clohessy said. “We really want to beg anybody who saw suspected or suffered wrongdoing at any of these boarding facilities to pick up the phone and call law enforcement. We cannot heal when the very same adults in the very same institutions and the very same circumstances and conditions are continuing this horror. We can’t move on and turn the page until something is done to protect the vulnerable ones.”

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for Boyd and Stephanie Householder in September ahead of the trial of October.

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