HOUSTON, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- The lawyer for a Texas mother whose seven adopted children were found in a Nigeria orphanage says she blames a brother-in-law for abandoning them.
Michael Delaney, who represents Mercury Liggins, said she sent cash to the relative whom she trusted to enroll them in a Nigerian school, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.
"Before the public judges this lady they need to hear the entire story, both sides, not just the sensationalistic allegations," Delaney told the newspaper.
The children, ranging in age from 8 to 16, were rescued by a Texas youth minister last month in squalid conditions. They have been placed in Houston foster homes and Liggins is facing a custody hearing next week.
New allegations of abuse and fraud are also being investigated in the case, officials said.
Delaney said Liggins selected a boarding school in Nigeria to care for her children while she worked in Iraq as a contract employee. He said she sent her brother-in-law, who lives in Nigeria, about $1,500 a month to pay for the children's school and other needs.
