Inside 'caveman' brother's 'house of horrors' where mum faked happy family life
A "house of horrors" mum faked a happy family life on social media before her boys fled naked "acting like they had never seen the sun".
34-year-old Katie Koch and her boyfriend Joel Manke, 38, were arrested by cops after their two boys, aged seven and nine, broke free from their home on July 13.
According to one eyewitness, the little boys roamed onto the street "like cavemen" - but the mum's Instagram account painted a highly different picture of the family.
She uploaded images of the boys spending time with their grandmother, playing in the snow, baking and decorating a Christmas tree along with numerous road trips.
Mr Manke, who had lived in the house since 2007, told investigators his girlfriend moved in with her children around four years ago and the family started to appear on her social media in October 2019, which is the same time she moved in.
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Mum Katie posted happy family pictures on social media (bohogypsy33/Instagram)
One of the boys was putting up Christmas decorations (bohogypsy33/Instagram)She posted a number of pictures of the boys celebrating Halloween, with the adults dressed in onesies, and one of the boys in a Paw Patrol outfit.
And in November 2019, Ms Koch posted a proud picture of one of her boys baking achievements, with the child beaming with a tray of brightly coloured cupcakes.
One of the children was seen decorating the house for Christmas in 2019, and another appeared in a "Happy New Year" outfit as the wholesome pictures continued throughout 2020.
Katie and one her boys (bohogypsy33/Instagram)The brothers were seen playing in the snow, as she wrote a gushing caption praising Mr Manke as a wonderful stepdad.
And in June 2020, the boys were seen in a picture rushing to hug their gran, who hugged them, and just four months later the family celebrated Dominic's fifth birthday.
The last pictures of the mum with her children were in January 2021, celebrating her boyfriend's 36th birthday.
Her Instagram showed a happy family life (bohogypsy33/Instagram)She gushed: "Hippo Birdie Two Ewe, My Love, I am so blessed to know you. All of you. For who you really, truly are,' she wrote, accompanied by photos of Manke with the boys and her.
"You're an AMAZING Man, Best Friend, Daddy to Our Boys & All of Our FurBabies, and Every Single other Role that You Fulfill. [sic]
"May 36 be the best year, yet. Here is to Many, Many, Many, Many More Years, Odin!!!!"
She posted images of the kids looking happy (bohogypsy33/Instagram)The last image she posted of herself was just a month later, which featured a number of goth memes.
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According to investigators, the boys had been living in horrific conditions and weren't toilet toilet trained, seen a doctor or had a haircut since 2019. They were also home-schooled.
The dad told officers he knew the living conditions were not good, but he had to "pick his battles" with his girlfriend to avoid arguments.
Katie Koch and her boyfriend Joel Manke in Christmas onesies (bohogypsy33/Instagram)Ms Knoch was seen looking upset in a court hearing as the prosecutor read out the allegations of abuse and neglect she is accused of inflicting on her boys.
Cops were called to the residency in Wisconsin by concerned neighbours who spotted children peering through a broken window on July 13, and reported the childrens' hair was filled with faeces.
Officers discovered the house was full of belongings which made the floor not visible, describing it as a "terrible hoarding situation."
The mum's gran was seen hugging her grandson (bohogypsy33/Instagram)A responding officer said the kitchen and living room were piled with garbage, and the smell of faeces and urine filled the home. Trash was also piled outside the children's room, which locked from the outside; inside, the walls were smeared with faeces.
A resident on the street, Christine Eder, said the boys looked like "they had never been outside."
She said: "They were just walking different Their hair looked like it had never been brushed, never been cut. They didn't know the outside existed."
Katie Koch
Joel MankeMallory Davis, assistant attorney, said the boys had been imprisoned in their rooms, and the windows were boarded up and the doors locked.
"These children have been horribly damaged from their mother's actions,' Davis said. "They are completely uneducated. They are not potty trained, even at their ages.
"They are, essentially at this point, unable to function in society."
Katie Koch in courtThe court commissioner set a $30,000 cash bail for Koch but her public defender told the judge their client has no money.
Mr Manke's cash bail was set at $6,500. Their preliminary hearings are set for July 26. If convicted on all felony counts, Ms Koch and Mr Manke each face fines totalling $120,000 and over 43 years in prison.
Ms Koch faces an additional $20,000 in fines and 18 months in prison for the two misdemeanour counts.
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