Stephen Ellison

New Hurdle For Tortured Fairfield Children, Their Grandparents

A new struggle has emerged for more than half a dozen Bay Area children who have already lived through the unthinkable.

A Fairfield couple made national headlines last year when police arrested them on charges they were torturing their 10 children. Most of those kids are now thriving in an Antioch home with their grandparents. But their future is up in the air.

"I love my grandkids, and I want to see them be happy and get the life they never got with their parents," Wanda Rogers, who along with her husband Ernie has worked hard to give their grandchildren love and stability over the past year.

Police say they found the children living in squalor in their Fairfield home in 2018. Their parents, Ina Rogers and Jonathan Allen, were arrested and charged with child abuse. Investigators say the kids were punched strangled bitten and shot with weapons like crossbows and BB guns and even suffered water boarding.

Wanda Rogers said her 9-year-old granddaughter was made to live in a filthy bathroom.

"She said they kept her in the bathroom because Jonathan thought she had a demon in her," Wanda said, adding that her grandchildren are finally leading a healthy life. She says they’re thriving. "They’re very well behaved; they’re good kids."

But now the family faces new worries. Wanda Rogers was just diagnosed with cancer, and their lease is up in their Antioch home. They’re packing up to move but can’t find a new rental big enough for all of them.

"I need somebody who will trust us enough to rent their home to us but it has to be Section 8," Wanda said. "There’s no way I can give up on them. That’s my grandchildren, that’s my blood, and I love them."

A GoFundMe campaign was launched for the family Thursday with a goal of $3,800.

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