Teachers' Sworn Statements Reveal Barahona Twins' Behavior at School

The school officials reported an alarming lack of hygiene and extreme absences of the twins to DCF, teachers' sworn statements reveal

Teachers and staff at Nubia Barahona's school believed things didn't add up.

Hundreds of pages of sworn statements were released Thursday, and they documented the behavior Nubia and her brother, Victor, at school.

Counselor Karole Pena says Nubia told her about a dream she had which involved Jorge Barahona.

"In the dream her father is shooting people, and he shoots her and she wakes up," says Pena.

Nubia's adoptive parents Jorge and Carmen Barahona are accused of beating her to death. in February. They have pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges.

Most alarming to the school staff was Nubia's hygiene. Art teacher Linda Harrell noticed a 3-inch white, flaky area on Nubia's head while in class.

"Nubia and her brother needed dental work. It didn't look like their teeth were brushed," said assistant principal Myrtis Thomas.

Thomas also noticed that Nubia wore stained shirts days in a row. She came to school many times with an odor of urine and feces that the other children complained about. Her shoes, hair and book bag were also dirty, said several teachers.

Victor was dirty too, but not as bad as Nubia, teacher Viviana Rodriguez said.

Nubia would also steal and hoard food and complain of hunger to Pena.

"When there was little carrots in a little container or anything that she could bring that was like sealed into the classroom she would. Like extra milk and she would, you know, stick it in her book bag," says Rodriguez.

Nubia's absences also caused alarm at the school. She missed days for what her mother said was a trip to Disney World, but Nubia never spoke of the trip.

"She said they were driving in the car and got some sun," says Pena.

She didn't seem excited about Disney World like other children would have been.

The school contacted the Department of Children and Families on several occasions when Carmen Barahona could not show proper medical letters or explain absences, but each time the department said that they would not accept the report because it was under special conditions, said Pena.

But the children never had behavioral problems.

"If it was because of their attitude, you would think they would actually live in a happy home... I mean, he has big blue eyes and his eyes were always glowing and he always had a smile from ear to ear at school," says Rodriguez.

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