Mothers Accused of Using Six Children in Sex Sale

OTSEGO, Mich. —  Two women have been charged with lining up their six children in the home they shared and allowing men to take their pick for sex, police said today.

Annette Sanford, 34, was charged with four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Carolyn Wilson, 42, was charged with one count of first-degree child abuse and four counts of criminal sexual conduct.

Investigators said they believe at least seven men visited the women’s house often in 1987 and 1988 to choose their victims from the lineup. They said the children were then sexually assaulted in their bedrooms.

“The kids would just look at each other as if to say ‘O God, not again,’ ” Detective Patrick O’Reilly said.

The women, who are not related, each had three children in the house. Authorities have been unable to determine who their biological fathers are.

The children, five girls and one boy, have been living in foster homes since May, 1988, after one of the girls came to school with bruises and told school officials of the alleged abuse. Five of the children are 8 to 13 years old; the sixth is a retarded 18-year-old girl.

Police didn’t seek arrest warrants for the women until two weeks ago, when they believed the children were prepared to testify.

Police said the lineups occurred at least once a week for at least a year. The women also allegedly beat the children and forced them to clean floors with toothbrushes and eat dog food, police said.