MO boarding school says it’s ‘officially closed’ as state investigates hotline calls

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A southeast Missouri boarding school under fire for allegedly abusing students has shut its doors and is facing additional investigations, The Star has confirmed.

Lighthouse Christian Academy, run by ABM Ministries near Piedmont, has notified the Missouri Department of Social Services that it is “officially closed,” according to a letter obtained by The Star.

The action comes as the state’s child welfare agency is investigating whether hotline calls about the school were properly investigated.

Robert Knodell, director of DSS, confirmed to The Star that his agency is working to determine how complaints to the state child abuse and neglect hotline about Lighthouse Christian Academy were handled by his department.

Sources, including former students, have told The Star that numerous complaints were submitted in the past 15 years but nothing came of them.

“We want to make sure that our team members are using the appropriate judgment, making the appropriate calls moving forward,” Knodell said. “Our inquiry and investigation is ongoing, looking at those facts in their entirety. We have to review each of those situations.”

The social services agency is also looking to see, Knodell said, whether a 2021 law implementing some regulations for Missouri’s unlicensed boarding schools is strong enough to prevent or identify abuse in such facilities.

The Star first wrote about allegations involving Lighthouse Christian Academy in Wayne County last month after five boys ran away in less than a four-week period. Since then, owners Larry and Carmen Musgrave, ages 57 and 64, have been charged with kidnapping, and another staff member, Caleb Sandoval, 22, has been charged with the assault of a child.

All boys are now gone from the school, authorities said, after parents were told earlier this month to pick up their sons within 48 hours. The school wrote to the state earlier this month about Lighthouse Christian Academy’s future.

“As of March 6th @ 5 p.m., 2024 ABM is officially closed,” the letter to DSS read. “All staff have also been dismissed.”

Wayne County Sheriff Dean Finch said he expects more charges as he continues to investigate. He has interviewed dozens of former students.

Several hotline calls made in late January

What still isn’t clear is what happened after concerns about the school were reported to Missouri’s abuse and neglect hotline.

Former students said if only someone had listened long ago, more students wouldn’t have been subjected to what they call mental and physical abuse.

The most recent calls to the hotline were made in late January when two boys — ages 12 and 14 — ran away from the school. After the two were initially helped by Cierra Osborn and then other neighbors, several people called the hotline.

Those two boys told the residents that they were hit for not doing chores fast enough and were berated by staff. At least two neighbors told The Star that they called the hotline, but to their knowledge nothing was done.

Courtney Hall, who lives about two miles from the school, said she when she initially called the hotline she was told that several people had already reported the incident and that it would be noted that she’d called. The next day, she said she called back and was told the information provided to the state wasn’t enough to meet the criteria for an investigation.

A sheriff’s deputy also called in late January about the runaways.

“We certainly appreciate the involvement of the folks in Wayne County in this situation,” Knodell said. “The ability to address ongoing issues is much greater when there’s full cooperation across the spectrum.”

That Jan. 28 incident, as well as other recent runaway cases, led authorities to talk with former students. And the information they shared led to the kidnapping charges and other counts that are expected.

“That was the domino effect, and it just went from there,” Finch said. “I don’t know the word I’m looking for to be honest with you. It’s just sad.”

What’s frustrating, the sheriff said, is that several students told him they tried to tell their parents about the alleged abuse at the school, but in many cases they weren’t believed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to blame anybody or whatever,” Finch said. “But the parents of some of these kids don’t care. That’s my personal opinion, and you can quote that all day long.”

‘Angry that it could happen’

Lighthouse Christian Academy — for boys 10 and older — is the latest unlicensed boarding school in Missouri to face scrutiny amid allegations of abuse.

Since September 2020, The Star has investigated several schools, and the lack of regulations for them in the state, and has spoken to more than 80 students who attended facilities in southwest Missouri.

That investigation led to lawmakers proposing legislation that they passed in 2021. The hope was that the new law would prevent further abuse and allow the state to implement at least some regulations for the unlicensed facilities.

Hearing about allegations and criminal investigations at yet another school has frustrated some lawmakers.

“I was shocked and angry that it could happen,” said Rep. Rudy Veit, R-Wardsville, a co-sponsor of the 2021 legislation. “It’s a great concern, because we were supposed to be at least making major steps to prevent this from happening. I thought we at least had new cases not arising, and turns out, these people went under the radar.

“And the whole object was that they not be under the radar and that they be overseen so we at least know that if something’s going on, we become aware of it.”

Veit said he hopes DSS will do a “thorough investigation” to see if the new law is strong enough to keep alleged abuse and other wrongdoing from happening inside Missouri’s unlicensed boarding schools.

“If not, what changes do we need to make?” Veit said. “I want them (DSS) to do their investigation, which I understand they’re doing, so we can make a determination — is this something that should have been prevented under existing law, or is there something we need to do to prevent this from happening?”