Why were they gone. Walked out? Both mugged? When I was a knee high to a grasshopper red neck my folks told me that "if they were taken away by a UFO" I should go to a certain neighbor.
they moved out, lock, stock and barrel...took everyhthing BUT the children - - that, as I said, they had tortured - including burning with cigarettes.
Maybe they figured the law would be catching up with them regarding that - or whatever. But they abandoned them - I thought the signs of abuse including burning with cigarettes would be clue enough they weren't "mugged" or only walked out.