Boy, 8, whose body was found decomposing alongside his abandoned siblings is pictured

The grandmother of one of the young children who were abandoned and neglected by their mother exclusively tells DailyMail.com, ‘I wish I would have known how bad of a situation those kids were in; I would have adopted all of the kids.’

Linda Smith, 71, said she is sickened by what Gloria Williams and her boyfriend, Brian Coulter are accused of doing to her children.

Smith sat down with DailyMail.com and shared pictures of Gloria’s children, Jordan Lee, 15, Trevon Lee, 10, Ja’Veon Kirklin, 7, and deceased Kendrick Lee, 8. Smith revealed Williams has another child, 17-year-old Jasmine Rene Whitaker, who was not in the house.  

The Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that Kendrick suffered multiple blunt force injuries, resulting in his death by homicide. 

Williams, 35, is charged with starving and neglecting her children and Coulter, 31, is charged with beating Kendrick to death.

Kendrick Lee, the 8-year-old boy whose body was found decomposing next to his siblings, is pictured for the first time. Kendrick Lee, 8, is seen with his siblings 

Kendrick, pictured in a much younger photo, is pictured with his mother Gloria

Kendrick, pictured in a much younger photo, is pictured with his mother Gloria

Brian Coulter, 31

Gloria Williams, 35

Booking photos released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office show Brian Coulter, 31, charged with beating to death his girlfriend’s eight-year-old son. The mother, Gloria Williams, 35, is charged with starving and neglecting her children 

Smith’s son, Jonathan Kirklin, is the father of 7-year old Ja’Veon Kirklin. He has been in and out of jail for the last several years and hasn’t been a part of his son’s life.

‘All of Gloria’s kids lived with me for a short time in 2014, my son went to jail for about 6 months,’ she said. 

‘I soon found out when my son was in jail and I was at work, Gloria would have different men come over to my house. I don’t know what she was doing with them. As soon as I found out I confronted Gloria with it, of course she denied it. But I told her she and her kids had to leave.’

Linda Smith, 71, is the grandmother of one of Gloria Williams' five children who were abandoned in Texas House of Horrors

Linda Smith, 71, is the grandmother of one of Gloria Williams’ five children who were abandoned in Texas House of Horrors

Smith said Gloria and her kids left the house and it was years before she saw Ja’Veon again, ‘Gloria just disappeared.’

A few years ago, Smith said Williams called her and asked her to meet at a McDonald’s and she brought Ja’Veon along for Smith to see. ‘Looking back on it now, I think if I would have asked her, she would have let me adopt Ja’Veon. It was just a feeling I got.’

Smith said she found out about what happened to her grandson and Gloria’s other children from the media. ‘I’ll adopt all of them. I’m heartbroken to hear what happened to them and especially Kendrick.’

‘I regret kicking her out, I should have never done that. I’ve asked myself, What else have this kids gone through with all of the guys that have been in and out of her life? Were the kids molested, abused?’

At one point, Smith had to sit down in a chair because she said she was light headed and overcome with emotion over the situation.

After several years of not communicating, Smith said out of the blue Williams texted her on August 31st. Asking Smith if she had seen her son, Jonathan.

Smith replied back on September 9, ‘Not lately. What’s wrong.’ Williams replied back, ‘Nothing I just want to see how he doing.’

Smith then asked Williams how her grandson, Ja’Veon doing, which Williams replied, ‘he doing good.’

Smith said that even though she hasn't spoken with any law enforcement, she confirmed the 8-year old son who was murdered is Kendrick Lee. The children are pictured with Hazel Williams, Gloria's mother

Smith said that even though she hasn’t spoken with any law enforcement, she confirmed the 8-year old son who was murdered is Kendrick Lee. The children are pictured with Hazel Williams, Gloria’s mother 

The Harris County Medical Examiner¿s Office on Tuesday ruled that Kendrick (left) suffered multiple blunt force injuries, resulting in his death by homicide.

The Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday ruled that Kendrick (left) suffered multiple blunt force injuries, resulting in his death by homicide.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Williams was charged twice for failing to enroll her children in school. Both charges were later dismissed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams is seen left alongside Coulter in this undated file photo

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Williams was charged twice for failing to enroll her children in school. Both charges were later dismissed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams is seen left alongside Coulter in this undated file photo

According to additional court filings, Coulter and Williams left the eight-year-old's body to rot in a closet, and then abandoned her other children

According to additional court filings, Coulter and Williams left the eight-year-old’s body to rot in a closet, and then abandoned her other children

Williams then told Smith that, her mother Hazel, was in the hospital, ‘U know my mom in the hospital she had a stroke so she can’t breath on ur own she been in the hospital for two weeks so I am going threw a hard time right now.

As Smith read the text aloud, she teared up, ‘knowing what we all know now, she had the guts to say that? That she was going through a hard time, when her kids were being starved, one was dead and they were left to fend for themselves.’

‘The Gloria I knew never would have done this to her kids, but it looks like she did, I guess you never know someone.’ 

Brian Coulter, 31, has been charged with murder in connection with the death of the child, identified in court documents obtained by DailyMail.com as Kendrick Lee. 

Gloria Williams, 35, Coulter’s girlfriend and the victim’s mother, is charged with injury to a child by omission, failure to provide medical care and failure to provide adequate supervision.   

The two were questioned and released hours after investigators performed their welfare check on Sunday, during which they made the gruesome discovery. 

Williams’ 15-year-old son, who had been caring for his two younger brothers with the help of a neighbor who brought them food and charged their cell phone when the electricity to their home was cut, called 911, prompting the welfare check on Sunday. 

According to additional court filings, Coulter and Williams left the eight-year-old’s body to rot in a closet, and then abandoned her other children.  

Both Coulter and Williams are scheduled to make their first court appearances on Thursday morning.  

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Williams was charged twice for failing to enroll her children in school.

Alief Independent School District told KTRK that in 2019 and 2020, the school district filed truancy papers against the siblings’ mother because two of them were not attending school. The children were last enrolled in May 2020. 

Both charges were later dismissed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Police have ruled the death of the eight-year-old boy a homicide. 

Gloria Y. Williams, 35

Brian W. Coulter, 31

A Houston woman, Gloria Y. Williams (left), 35, and her boyfriend, Brian W. Coulter (right), 31, were arrested and charged by authorities on Tuesday for abandoning and neglecting her three young children in a home for months at a time while the kids’ eight-year-old brother’s corpse decomposed in the house for more than a year

The arrests were made two days after law enforcement officials found Williams' three children abandoned inside a Houston apartment. Investigators also found a rotting corpse of Williams' eight-year-old son who had been dead for more than a year

The arrests were made two days after law enforcement officials found Williams’ three children abandoned inside a Houston apartment. Investigators also found a rotting corpse of Williams’ eight-year-old son who had been dead for more than a year

The image above shows a notice of removal of children left by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. According to the notice, state officials took custody of the three children on Sunday evening after police conducted a welfare check

The image above shows a notice of removal of children left by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. According to the notice, state officials took custody of the three children on Sunday evening after police conducted a welfare check

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Williams was charged twice for failing to enroll her children in school

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com indicate that Williams was charged twice for failing to enroll her children in school

The Harris County Medical Examiner’s Office on Tuesday ruled that Kendrick suffered multiple blunt force injuries, resulting in his death by homicide. 

According to a report from the victim’s 15-year-old brother, he and his two surviving siblings had been living with his decomposing body in their apartment for a year. 

Shortly before the teen called 911 on Sunday, he texted his mother to tell her he could not take it anymore.

The call led to a series of disturbing revelations, including that the three children, ages 15, 10 and 7, had been left to fend for themselves for several months, relying on food donations from unsuspecting neighbors to survive, while sharing an apartment with the decomposing remains of their sibling – even as their mother and her boyfriend lived just 15 minute away.

Detectives with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office questioned the couple before releasing them on Monday pending the outcome of the criminal investigation. 

Child welfare services in Texas have also launched an investigation into the horror find at the apartment complex on Houston’s west side.

Erica Chapman, who lives at CityParc II at West Oaks Apartments, said she was among the people who had been feeding the malnourished 15-year-old, not knowing he was living with his two younger brothers.

‘The first time I saw him, he was sleeping on one of the slides,’ Chapman told KTRK. 

Williams, the mother of the three children, lived with her boyfriend, Coulter, just 15 minutes away from the apartment complex where her 8-year-old son was found dead

Williams, the mother of the three children, lived with her boyfriend, Coulter, just 15 minutes away from the apartment complex where her 8-year-old son was found dead

Law enforcement officials said that the three children were given food by neighbors

Law enforcement officials said that the three children were given food by neighbors 

Investigators also found the decomposed body of a eight-year-old boy inside the apartment

Investigators also found the decomposed body of a eight-year-old boy inside the apartment

Chapman said she noticed that the teen’s mother was rarely home. She would occasionally show up bearing noodles, snacks and drinks. The abandoned teen would run downstairs to pick up the food and then return to the apartment.

About six months ago, Chapman said she started offering the 15-year-old food, but she said he refused to accept cooked meals, only agreeing to take packaged snacks, fruit and pizza.

Trevor Thompson, another neighbor who had been helping out the boy, told the station the child was paranoid and feared getting poisoned.

Thompson said the teen knocked on his door one day, asking to borrow a charger. After that, the neighbor said he forged a bond with the boy and started offering him food.

Both Thompson and Chapman said they had no idea there were two younger children living with the 15-year-old.

Thompson recalled that on one occasion he asked the teen if he liked the pizza he had given him.

‘And he asked, “What? The first pizza we had?”‘ Thompson recounted. ‘That made me wonder why would he say, “We.”‘

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