Boys Left To Die With Their Brother’s Rotting Corpse For 365 Days

Boys Left To Die With Their Brother’s Rotting Corpse For 365 Days

Content warning: This text is about a sensitive topic involving loss of life. We aim to provide informative, factual journalism on a tragic event in the public interest that does not dismiss its seriousness. All clips and information are used under the doctrine of fair use for news reporting and analysis.

Kendrick Lee was an adorable little boy born in Houston, Texas, in 2012. At the time of our story, he was just 8 years old. His mother, Gloria Evette Williams, had six children in total. Kendrick had three brothers by the time he was eight, and they were between the ages of seven and 15. He also had two older sisters who were living with their relatives by late 2020. People described all of the brothers as sweet children. One family friend, Hedi Carter, who had known the family for decades, said that Kendrick was an obedient, sweet, and loving little boy. Kendrick, as well as one of his brothers, had been diagnosed with autism. He was small for his age, and although Kendrick had special needs, those who knew him recalled a gentle personality.

Kendrick attended Holmquist Elementary, but by May of 2020, he and his brothers had stopped attending school altogether. The school district later confirmed that they had opened a truancy case in 2019 and 2020 after multiple absences, and nobody answered the door at a scheduled home visit in September of 2020. At that time, none of the children had re-enrolled for the school year.

Kendrick’s family life was tumultuous. His mother, Gloria, had struggled through the boys’ childhood before her children met Daryl Wayne Towner at a McDonald’s near downtown Houston. At that time, she was a single mother living in a homeless shelter, having ended up there after being forced out of her violent ex-boyfriend’s mother’s home. Daryl was looking for a family of his own and became deeply attached to Gloria’s kids. According to Daryl’s family, that meeting marked the start of their relationship, which led to their marriage in October of 2017.

Daryl embraced the role of a caregiver, taking the children on outings to parks, fishing spots, and the beach. He made sure they joined family barbecues and felt part of a larger, caring household. Carol, who was Daryl’s sister, remembered that the children always had a place to live, proper clothes, and reliable transportation. She said they seemed well-fed, polite, and in good spirits when she saw them. She shared one moment that has stayed with her to this day: during a visit to her home, one of the younger boys quietly gestured towards something on the counter. Carol lowered herself to his level, trying to figure out what he wanted, and realized he was asking for dessert. So, she quickly got him a treat.

For Daryl, taking on the role of a father to Gloria’s children meant everything to him. Carol explained that even though they were not his biological children, he saw this responsibility as the best thing that ever happened to him. Despite the affection and care Daryl showed, the family faced serious struggles. They frequently had to move from one apartment to another with all of the children in tow. Public records showed they were evicted in February of 2018 from an apartment in Northwest Houston and again 5 months later from a home in Jersey Village.

Daryl’s life was unfortunately cut short in 2019 when he died of a stroke at the age of 57. His sister Carol remembered that while the family grieved for her brother, they also mourned the loss of the bond they had built with the children. After his death, Carol tried to get in touch with Gloria but had no success. She explained that they had no idea where Gloria and the kids had gone.

Melody Robinson, the grandmother of Gloria’s third oldest daughter, had been raising the girl since she was just 2 years old. Reflecting on Gloria’s life, Melody described her as being very unstable. Gloria and Melody’s son were together for around 3 years. During that time, they all lived in Melody’s house along with Gloria’s eldest son. On Instagram, Gloria often posted about cooking food. On December 18th, 2019, she posted a picture of her three sons at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and all three appeared to be happy.

By 2020, Gloria had begun a new relationship with Brian Ward Coulter, a man she had met after Daryl’s death. Records indicate that Brian had a history of run-ins with the law. He had been evicted from apartments as a teenager, was charged with tampering with a building inspection certificate in 2012 (which was later dismissed), and was cited for drug paraphernalia possession in 2014. He had also fathered a child in 2015 and had been ordered to pay child support to the boy’s mother. In a court document, the mother of Brian’s son claimed that Brian had violated their custody agreement by preventing her from seeing or speaking with their child for several months during the fall. She accused Brian of telling their son, who was allegedly on the autism spectrum, that no one cared about him and had attempted to remove him from school.

By most accounts, Brian worked intermittently. At one point, he was at a staffing agency and later at a Walmart. Brian went by the username FOE Productions on Instagram, where he would often post about his life with Gloria. In one instance in September of 2020, he posted about Gloria cooking him a four-course meal while calling her his wife, even though there is no record of them ever getting married. That same month, he posted a picture of Gloria’s arm displaying a tattoo reading “FOE,” meaning “Family Over Everything.” This was a phrase Brian used regularly on his social media. Those letters were tied to a music production company he claimed to have started back in 2017 and seemed to represent a personal motto he liked to promote online. He also posted often about his jewelry, insisting that it was real, and claimed that he was blessed by the Lord. In several of the videos he posted in 2020, he could be seen smoking a joint while talking in a slurred, often incomprehensible tone. But Brian never posted about the children on his Instagram.

Meanwhile, the household grew chaotic. Neighbors at the West Oaks Apartments on Green Crest Drive in Houston sometimes saw Brian and Gloria come and go, but rarely spotted the boys. The family began relying on public assistance, and Gloria was collecting benefits for four children. Gloria’s family explained that she had been distant from them for years, only getting in touch when she needed financial help. Gloria’s cousin, Yasmine Craig, described how difficult it was to keep track of Gloria because she constantly changed phone numbers every few months. She was also moving frequently, leaving the family without any stable address to find her.

Yasmine recalled that whenever they managed to reach Gloria, she insisted everything was fine with the children. She would claim the kids were doing well and attending school. And when family members asked where the kids were, Gloria always replied that they were at school. Yasmine also remembered that Gloria never provided an apartment number. Instead, she would tell them she would meet them out front of the complex, and they didn’t question it at the time. Yasmine added that her own mother had wanted to see Kendrick since the very day he was born, but Gloria always refused.

Family members were very worried that Gloria would eventually struggle to provide the kind of parenting the children really needed. Child Protective Services had been in contact with the family in the past, and cases of possible child abuse dated back as far as 2015, but there were never any active cases. Behind closed doors, Brian would frequently shut the children inside a bedroom for long stretches of time. Photographs of the bedroom door showed that it had been modified so the standard knob was replaced with a deadbolt on the outside. The boys shared that when they were locked inside and not permitted to leave, they had no choice but to relieve themselves right there in the room.

Kendrick’s 15-year-old brother remembered hearing both Brian and Gloria hitting the younger children. He heard the sounds of a struggle even when it was in the next room, sometimes while they were sharing the same space. Brian especially targeted the youngest two, the ones with autism, and noted that the violence had gotten significantly worse in the months before November. The teenager said that he would ask Gloria and Brian to stop, but it never worked. Brian only seemed to get angrier after he drank. Sometimes he would punch them while wearing a square ring with stones on it, which was significantly more damaging.

On October 23rd, Gloria posted a picture with Brian on her Instagram account, stating that they were on a date and calling him her husband. On October 29th, Brian posted a picture of himself with an incoherent caption that referred to music videos in his FOE production house. Just a month later, in late November of 2020, one of Kendrick’s brothers explained that Kendrick was being selfish and drinking all of the water in the room. Because of this, Brian got agitated and started beating Kendrick viciously. Court records later revealed that Brian struck Kendrick repeatedly, hitting him in the face, groin, and torso, even stepping on him and kicking him.

According to Gloria, she witnessed it happening and tried to stop it. Kendrick’s 10-year-old and seven-year-old brothers attested to helplessly watching as Brian pummeled the little boy, mostly using his bare hands, but he also used a Spider-Man figurine and a model jet. They said that even after Kendrick stopped moving, Brian kept hitting him. The boys described how Kendrick’s eyes were dark and unresponsive, and Brian threw a blanket over Kendrick’s limp body. Gloria came into the room the next day, saw Kendrick under the blanket, and began crying. She sent her surviving sons out of the room to wait and reportedly confronted Brian about it, who did not deny what he had done. Brian told her he had lost control and that he had kept hitting Kendrick until he went to sleep, as he put it.

Despite knowing all of this, Gloria did not go to the police. She later told investigators she was terrified that Brian would retaliate against her and that her children would be taken away by CPS. She was afraid she would go to jail herself. The children later told the police that at times they would pull back the sheet covering Kendrick to see if he was truly gone. When they did, they saw that roaches were crawling over him.

Days later, on November 23rd, Brian was arrested at a Buc-ee’s gas station in Luling, Texas. An employee at the store called 911 after noticing that Brian seemed drunk and might have a gun with him. When officers arrived, they found Brian sitting in a white Toyota Camry parked outside with Gloria in the passenger seat. A police report noted that the officer immediately smelled weed coming from the car. A search turned up weed stored in an envelope in a plastic baggie along with a digital scale. Brian’s speech was slow and slurred, and he had a loaded handgun tucked in a hip holster beneath his sweatpants. Gloria was given a citation for the drugs but was allowed to leave. Brian, however, was taken to the Caldwell County Jail on a charge related to the gun. He remained there for 6 days.

After Brian bonded out on November 29th, he and Gloria returned to Houston. The Instagram accounts of both Gloria and Brian remained inactive from October of 2020 to February of 2021. That’s when both of them returned to posting on their social media accounts as if nothing had happened. On February 9th, Brian posted a video sitting in his car with a joint in his hand, saying that he didn’t know what he should eat. Gloria could be heard in the background suggesting food options that they could eat. On February 15th, Gloria posted about how Brian gifted her all of this jewelry for Valentine’s Day and insisted that all of it was real. Around this time, a comment on Brian’s post pointed out how he bragged about having a $30,000 chain while he was actually sleeping on an air mattress in a filthy apartment.

In March of 2021, Gloria and Brian moved into a new apartment about 15 minutes away, intentionally leaving Kendrick’s three brothers behind. Gloria later told police she was preparing the new home to bring the boys over, but investigators noted the new apartment was already furnished and fully stocked with food, which was evidence that she had no intention of reuniting with her kids. She even continued to draw government aid for four children, including Kendrick, which came to about $2,000 each month. In August, Gloria posted on her Instagram looking for someone who could do an undetectable microlink sew-in on natural hair. This was the last post she made on her account to date.

Back at the old unit, the three boys were living in squalor. They slept on the bare floor with no beds or furniture, and there were empty alcohol bottles all over the countertops. There were no toys, games, books, or nothing at all to suggest that children were living there. All the while, Gloria and Brian were just down the street. They continued to pay rent and sent groceries around once a month to avoid suspicion. The three boys tried to survive on their own. The oldest brother washed dishes in the bathtub and rationed the limited food she dropped by, including chips, noodles, and soft drinks.

During these trips, Brian would repeatedly beat the two younger kids. The 9-year-old would later describe being punched in the jaw so badly that his entire face swelled. The boys had not been allowed to leave the apartment at all. Neighbors remembered the eldest brother would sometimes come outside, but only rarely, and he asked quietly for food. He said he rarely spoke and never let on that he was feeding not just himself but two other younger brothers as well. Erica Chapman, a neighbor, realized something was wrong and quietly began sliding snacks under their door, but packaged foods only, because the teen was terrified someone might try to poison them. Erica was afraid to question them because she didn’t want to scare them away.

When night fell, neighbors noticed the outline of the teenage boy moving behind the blinds in his bedroom. He would pace back and forth and watch the world outside through the window. Titania Sharter, who lived in the West Oaks apartments, remembered that she and others had reported a terrible smell to management, something that reminded them of a dead animal. Despite these complaints, she said there was no indication that the staff took any action in response. The company in charge of managing the property, Highmark Residential, chose not to reply to repeated questions about either the odor complaints or the death of Kendrick.

According to a comment on one of her posts on Instagram, Gloria had started a GoFundMe campaign in August of 2021. She claimed it was to stop her and her four children from being evicted. In the campaign, she described having four children and mentioned that two of them were autistic. The GoFundMe has since been taken down. In September of 2021, electricity to the apartment was cut off, making conditions even more unlivable.

On the evening of October 24th, 2021, the eldest brother texted his mother that he could not take it anymore. After that, he called 911. He told dispatchers that his brother had been dead for a year. He explained that his 8-year-old brother had been lying lifeless under a blanket in their apartment for months and that he and his brothers had been living alone in the filthy unit.

Deputy Cory Castro from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office homicide unit was the first one to examine the apartment. He described the moment he walked in and how immediately unmistakable the smell hit him. The entire place was stripped bare of even the most basic comforts. There was no furniture to sit on and no electricity to power anything. Insects were crawling everywhere. He remembered noticing roaches scattered across the floor and walls. According to investigators, the boys said that they wanted to have donuts. So, the deputies immediately took them to the nearest Shipley’s, which is a chain of doughnut shops in the south.

Neighbors claimed the apartment complex had done inspections just a month ago. So, when ABC 13 News tried to ask the management of the apartment building about the last time that apartment was inspected, they refused to answer and kicked the news agency out. What stood out to Deputy Castro the most was the position that Kendrick’s body was left in. Though he chose his words carefully out of respect for the investigation’s integrity, he suggested it was deeply unsettling to see a child left lying in such a way.

Deputy John Craig, who was the lead investigator on the case, reflected on the weight of what they found. He thought about it being a father himself, finding it nearly unbearable to imagine children being treated so horribly. He expressed how humiliating it was for those boys to live in such degrading conditions, having to fend for themselves without an adult to care for them if they got hurt. And it was heartbreaking that someone could do this to a child, emphasizing how truly defenseless and innocent they were. Deputy Craig noted that children living in violent homes learn quickly what happens if they disobey. After witnessing their brother’s death, they knew exactly what was at stake if they tried to leave.

Police finally entered the apartment. The boys were terrified at first, but as they realized the police were there to save them, everything changed. They wanted to talk. They wanted to hold on to the deputies, desperate for the connection they had been denied for so long. Deputy Craig remembered how they hugged him tightly, and he admitted it was impossible not to hug them back, and it was painful for him to let them go.

At the time, the sheriff’s office faced backlash from the public. People were outraged that there hadn’t been an immediate arrest on the day the boys were found. They received angry calls questioning why those responsible weren’t already in custody. Deputy Craig explained that they couldn’t just act on emotion. They needed to ensure the case was solid. He described the process of gathering all the evidence carefully, waiting on the medical examiner’s conclusions, and conducting thorough interviews. Only then could they present everything to the district attorney’s office, secure the necessary warrant, and move forward with the arrest. For Deputy Craig, he explained it was about building a case that would hold up in court and deliver real justice in his eyes.

As they pieced together the timeline, investigators also began asking hard questions about how this tragedy went undetected for so long. Deputy Craig pointed to the effects of the pandemic. With schools closed and children learning remotely, no teacher was there to notice the signs of violence in person. Deputy Craig expressed frustration at how easy it was for parents to claim they would homeschool their kids without much scrutiny. The system simply didn’t have enough resources to verify every claim. Deputy Castro emphasized how important it is for community members to speak up when something seems suspicious. He urged people not to second-guess themselves or stay silent if they detect a child might be in danger. Meanwhile, Gloria’s family shared that they had no idea Kendrick had died or that the other three children had been left alone.

Kendrick’s death was ruled a homicide. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined he died from multiple blunt force injuries. The three surviving boys were immediately taken to a hospital. Doctors found all three malnourished with physical injuries. Within days of the discovery, law enforcement tracked down Gloria and Brian. On October 26th, both of them were at the Robinson-Westchase Neighborhood Library on Wilcrest. They entered the building at 4:42 p.m. and went directly to the front desk to speak with a library staff member. Gloria seemed relaxed enough to even smile during this interaction. According to sources, the couple was trying to look up news coverage about the case. Video shows Gloria leaving with a printed sheet of paper in hand. Outside, they walked to their car just as deputies arrived, pulling in quickly and arresting them without any resistance.

That same day, Brian was charged with capital murder. For her role in the crimes, Gloria was charged with injury to a child by omission and tampering with evidence. At their first court appearances, both defendants were denied low bail. Judge Kelly Johnson set Brian’s bond at $1 million, ordering that he have no contact with any minors or Gloria. Gloria was granted a $900,000 bond and ordered not to contact her children or Brian. Meanwhile, all three of Kendrick’s surviving brothers were placed in the care of CPS.

On October 28th, 2021, Brian stood before a judge for the first time. The judge originally assigned to hear the case had stepped aside, citing personal reasons that were not made public. Because of that, another judge had to take over the hearing. When Brian was brought into court, he moved slowly and repeatedly asked the judge questions. At times, he seemed confused by what was being read to him. He even asked for clarification about the charge he faced and wanted to know if a conviction carried a sentence ranging from 5 years up to 99 years or life. The judge confirmed the sentencing range but also cautioned Brian to communicate through his lawyer, warning him that anything said in court could be used against him. Brian waived his right to a jury trial, electing instead a bench trial by Judge Kelly Johnson. In April of 2024, after 4 days of testimony, Judge Johnson found him guilty of capital murder.

Prosecutors had presented heart-wrenching evidence, photos of Kendrick’s skeletal remains, autopsy reports, and testimony from the three brothers about the years of neglect. One younger brother described peering under a blue blanket and seeing nothing but bones. In her closing statement, Judge Johnson said that those children had haunted her the entire week and she hoped that they haunted everybody else’s minds, too. Brian was immediately sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Brian’s relatives expressed sorrow over what had happened, saying they never raised Brian to act this way. They offered sympathy for the children and noted that their contact with Brian had been limited for years.

Gloria’s case proceeded separately. After Brian’s conviction, she pleaded guilty in October of 2024 to two counts of injury to a child by omission, causing serious bodily injury. During her sentencing, Gloria’s lawyers argued that Brian was the aggressor and that Gloria had been gaslit by him. Prosecutors countered that she had ample opportunity to save her children, saying if she truly cared for her children, she could have taken the kids to family members, but she did not. In a rare decision, Gloria chose to give up her parental rights at a family court hearing held on November 12th, 2024. By doing this, she permanently lost any possibility of ever getting custody of her children again. The man who is the father of Gloria’s two oldest sons went to the court hearing accompanied by his lawyer to make it clear he wanted custody of his children. He was married and earned his living working in the construction industry. It’s unclear, however, who got custody of the remaining brother. In November of 2024, the judge handed down a 50-year prison sentence. She was tearful in court, expressing remorse for allowing her sons to endure a year with their brother’s decaying body under the same roof. She will be eligible for parole in 25 years, by which time all of her children, now teenagers, will be adults living in other homes.

Now, Melody Robinson, the grandmother of Gloria’s third oldest daughter, questioned Gloria’s actions, saying that watching someone harm your child was something no real mother would do. In her view, a mother’s role is to shield her children from harm, not stand by and let it happen. Melody felt relief that she had fought to keep her granddaughter safe but admitted she was heartbroken for the little girl’s half-brothers who didn’t have the same chance.

On October 30th, 2021, about 6 days after the rescue, hundreds gathered for a candlelight vigil at the apartment complex where the boys had been found. Local activist Joseph “Papa Joe” Denan urged residents to speak up against child abuse, lamenting that some neighbors had smelled the stench for months but did not realize what it meant. Family friend Hedi Carter, who lived near the family, spoke at the vigil and insisted she tried to repeatedly reach Gloria in the year before the rescue, only to be blocked. She shared that this week had just been horrific. It was heart-wrenching, devastating, and they were trying to just make it through the ordeal day by day. Every time they would get close to her, she would go. They didn’t understand why at the time, but seeing the whole year of events, they knew why now. She didn’t want anybody to know what had happened, how it happened, or when it happened. So, they were left wondering what was going on.

It was a scene in West Harris County that had been set by tragedy. He was a very, very sweet little boy. Signs of innocence, justice, and faith adorned the vigil for 8-year-old Kendrick Lee, whose brothers were found abandoned in an apartment living alongside his remains. “I believe in God,” Heddy Carter said. She is a friend of the family of the boys’ mother, Gloria Williams, and has known them for over 40 years. “I thank you, Father God,” she prayed. “This week has just been horrific. Just heart-wrenching, devastating, and we’re trying to day by day just make it through this ordeal.” Today she remembers little Kendrick: “Nothing but smiles. He wasn’t a hard kid to get along with.” The questions, though, still remain. “How, just how did you allow this to happen?” Despite her best efforts to find Williams and the boys, Hedi says her calls and texts were blocked. “Every time we get close to her, she go. Get close, she go. We didn’t understand why at the time, but as you see this whole year of events, we know why now.” With the words and answers seemingly impossible to find, there’s only one thing she says she can do: “We pray. We just keep praying. You know, I even pray for Gloria and the guy. I have to because that’s what the Lord is telling me to do.”

Among those who gathered for the vigil was a young boy who was just 10 years old. He used to spend time playing with the brothers whenever he visited his grandmother at the same apartment complex. His mother felt it was important for them to be there that Saturday so they could honor Kendrick’s memory and show their respects. She explained how painful it was to think about what the surviving children might face in the years ahead. She believed they would likely struggle for a long time, and the thought of it was truly devastating for her. She spoke about the difficult talk she had been forced to have with her son, emphasizing the importance of knowing how to recognize when something is wrong and the need to speak up. Bringing her son to the vigil was her way of showing him that there are people who care deeply about the well-being of children, and hoping for all kids to know that they were never alone, and that even if they felt unable to turn to their parents, they could reach out to friends, neighbors, or teachers. She stressed how vital it was for them to tell someone if they ever found themselves in trouble.

Meanwhile, a man named Matthew Molton put together a personal memorial for Kendrick. His tribute carried the message, “Protect our children,” featuring photos of Kendrick surrounded by candles and keepsakes. Matthew spoke about how determined he was to make sure that the faces and names of children like Kendrick would never fade from people’s memories. He talked about his frustration with the relentless violence. Every time he finished one of these tributes, he hoped it would be the last, but there were always more to create. He felt that things were spiraling out of control and called for the community to come together and put an end to it.

Law enforcement and child welfare agencies drew heavy criticism. A senior sheriff sergeant commented on camera that he had never heard of a scenario like this in his long career. Sheriff Gonzalez publicly stated the violence was one of the most horrific they had ever seen. Child Advocates cited Kendrick’s case as a tragic example of why teachers, neighbors, and welfare offices must do more to check on missing children. Not to mention the fact that Kendrick had been decomposing in this apartment for a whole year and so many people called and nothing happened.

Finally, the community laid Kendrick to rest. A funeral service was held on December 10th, 2021, at God’s Word of Deliverance Church in Northeast Houston. Mourners, including extended family, friends, and even strangers who had followed the case, gathered to celebrate Kendrick’s short life. People who visited Kendrick’s online memorial page shared heartfelt words reflecting their sorrow and hope for his peace. Many of them spoke about how heartbreaking it was that his life ended so soon, expressing their grief over what he had endured. Several messages imagined Kendrick in a place free of pain, cared for in heaven, no longer suffering. Some pictured him with wings soaring freely, embraced by divine love. Others addressed him as a little angel or a beautiful boy, saying they believed he would now know only peace and warmth. Deputy Castro spoke about how cases like these shape the way you approach your work, and it’s something that both he and his colleagues can heavily relate to. He said that it makes you want to do your job with even greater care, because in the end, you are the one who speaks for the victim who can no longer speak for themselves.