(New Braunfels) — A Comal County jury has convicted a New Braunfels woman, on four counts of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury after evidence showed she starved and confined two of her adopted children for years.
Jurors on Jan. 28th returned the guilty verdict for 53-year-old Susan Rae Helton, following a two-week trial. The first-degree felony charges carry a punishment range of five to 99 years. The jury assessed 20 years on each count. Judge Stephanie Bascon ordered the sentences for each child to run consecutively, totaling 40 years in prison. Helton must serve at least half before becoming eligible for parole.
The case began with a Child Protective Services referral reporting suspected abuse and neglect. Investigators found the two teens severely underweight — a 14-year-old weighing 48 pounds and a 13-year-old weighing 50 pounds.
Forensic interviews revealed the children were routinely denied food, beaten with a belt if caught taking food and confined inside makeshift cages built with baby gates. One child slept inside the enclosure for extended periods. Other children in the home confirmed the punishments.
During an unannounced home visit, CPS found the gate structures still in place. Helton admitted confining the children, claiming it prevented them from “stealing” food.
Medical records showed the children had gained only about six pounds over five years and grew less than three inches. After being removed from the home, both gained more than eight pounds within a month and were diagnosed with severe malnutrition and failure to thrive. Doctors testified the cause was simply lack of food.
Both victims testified in court about the abuse. One described spending most days inside the gates for eating, sleeping and schoolwork. The other told jurors he lived in constant hunger and feared punishment.
Helton testified in her own defense but later admitted she confined the children for convenience and knew withholding food could cause serious harm.
Prosecutors praised the victims’ courage and the jury’s decision. Assistant District Attorney Lauren Cole said the children were “not victims, but survivors.”
The case was investigated by the New Braunfels Police Department and CPS and prosecuted by the Comal County District Attorney’s Office.