Indictment describes disappearance, abuse of missing girl Aarone Thompson

The full indictment against Aaron Thompson shows that his missing daughter, Aarone, died because she was undernourished, suffered cruel punishment and was denied medical care.

Details surrounding the disappearance and presumed death of Aarone Thompson, along with information outlining a pattern of alleged child abuse against Aarone and her siblings were released Wednesday as the full indictment against Aaron Thompson in his criminal case were made public.

The Denver Post asked the Colorado State Court of Appeals to consider its argument that withholding the information from the public was illegal. Earlier this week, the court agreed and announced it should be made public.

An indictment is a legal document that outlines the charges against a defendant. Indictments are considered public information in Colorado.

Among the 60 counts, Thompson faces child abuse resulting in death - knowingly or recklessly, multiple counts of conspiracy to commit child abuse resulting in death, false reporting to authorities, concealing death, conspiracy to conceal death, abuse of a corpse, conspiracy to commit abuse of a corpse, multiple counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and multiple counts of child abuse resulting in injury.

Thompson's girlfriend, Shely Lowe, was also named a person of interest in the case. Lowe died in May 2006 of heart problems, shortly before the grand jury was convened to hear the case.

For more on the information contained in the indictment, click here.

In the 60-plus page indictment, Lowe's former common-law husband, Eric Williams, describes a late night in January or early February of 2004 where Lowe discussed the night when Aarone "just stopped breathing." Williams told the grand jury that Lowe started sobbing and crying to him explaining that she had tried, along with Thompson, to bring Aarone back to life by giving her mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Williams continues explaining that Lowe told him she and Thompson determined they needed to get rid of the body because Aarone had a scar on her back from discipline they had given her. The couple feared social services would take away their other children, according to Williams.

Aarone's body has never been found but Williams' testimony goes on to say that Lowe described the evening when she and Thompson left the other children at home, driving "far away" to dig a grave. She told Williams that they placed the child in a grave and as they put the dirt over Aarone, "the last breath of the child was coming out of her body."

The indictment also outlines how Thompson and Lowe told the other children that Aarone had been living in Michigan for two years prior to the day Thompson reported his then 6-year-old daughter missing in November 2005.

It also describes how Lowe and Thompson tried to keep their children and Lowe's teenage brother, also living with the couple in Aurora, from talking to authorities about Aarone's disappearance.

Lowe's own mother told authorities she had never met Aarone, never spoken with the girl or seen her picture. Aarone's paternal grandmother last saw Aarone in Michigan before the family moved to Denver when Aarone was only 2 years old.

Aarone's last documented medical appointment was at Aurora South Hospital on May 12, 2002. Her last known photograph was taken at the Grand Canyon when she was approximately 3-and-a-half years old. The National Park Services determined, based on shadows, growth of foliage, and other factors that the photo had been taken in May, June or July of 2002.

The indictment also details testimony from one of Aarone's older sisters.

The sister told a therapist that Lowe and Thompson punished Aarone for "peeing" by putting her in a coat closet. It goes on to explain that sometimes it would be part of the day, other times it would be part of the day and all through the night. The sister also remembered the last time she saw her sister, saying she was in the closet and was going to be there all night as punishment for "peeing."

Aarone's bed-wetting is also detailed in the indictment as it was Lowe's responsibility to clean her. Aarone's older sister explained that she heard Thompson giving Aarone a "whoopin'" in the middle of the night. Another sister also said Aarone got "whooped" with a belt by Thompson for "peeing" in the closet.

Two different incidences described in the indictment imply that Aarone was sexually assaulted but some of the details have been redacted.

The physical abuse Lowe and Thompson inflicted upon the children is graphically detailed in the indictment. All of the children were subjected to continuous physical abuse by the couple with belts, bats, poles, extension cords, hats, broomsticks and belt buckles.

One section of the indictment describes a "whoopin'" where Thompson was beating one of his sons in the basement after tying him to a pole naked. During the "whoopin'" Thompson yelled for one of his daughters to bring him a drink of water. After she gave it to him, Thompson said to his son, "I am ready for more, are you?"

The indictment explains that the children were frequently kept home from school because the assaults were so severe that the parents feared others would notice. They were also forced to bath in hot water to reduce swelling. If the children bled during the "whoopins" they were required to clean the blood from the carpet or flooring.

The physical tormenting came, many times, after the children had eaten some of Lowe's food. Many of the children told investigators they feared both Lowe and Thompson, according to the indictment.

With the exception of one, all of the Lowe/Thompson children are in Colorado and have been either adopted or remain in foster care.

The indictment was partially released in May 2007 but was heavily redacted following a year-long grand jury investigation. Many of the specific details outlined against Thompson had been left a secret.

History of the case

Thompson was arrested on Wednesday, May 16, 2007 in Aurora just after 12:30 p.m., and his bond was set at $500,000. He will be back in court on May 29.

Thompson, 39, had reported 6-year-old Aarone missing in November 2005, claiming she ran away after an argument over a cookie.

More than 100 police officers and volunteers searched for Aarone, and Thompson made tearful pleas for the safe return of his daughter.

Yet, within days, investigators labeled the case as a homicide and named Thompson and Lowe as persons of interest. The case concerned them because there were no credible reports of Aarone being seen for at least 18 months prior to the time she was reported missing, police said, and the mattress from her bed in the Thompson home was gone.

In addition, the information from Williams implicated the couple.

Seven other children living in the home were removed by social services, as well as an infant child born later to Thompson and Lowe.

After the couple went to court for custody, a ruling that Aaron Thompson "was responsible for serious bodily injury or the death" of his daughter, Aarone, was issued by the Colorado Court of Appeals.

The court affirmed the decision made by a dependency and neglect jury.

In the decision issued Feb. 8, the Colorado Court of Appeals said "the record contains sufficient competent evidence" that then 6-year-old Aarone Thompson, reported missing by her father and his girlfriend, Shely Lowe, in Nov. 2005, "…went missing long before reported by the parents, that the parents were not forthcoming about the circumstances of her disappearance, that the parents did not want the children to talk to police, and that the child was probably deceased."

"This is so devastating," Lynette Thompson, Aarone's mother, told 9NEWS at the time from her home in Detroit, Michigan. "Oh my God, you mean to tell me that he killed his own daughter? That's not the man that I married."

Lowe and Thompson had asked to have the dependency and neglect case heard by a jury, and after a nine-day trial, the jury returned special verdicts "finding that the children were dependent or neglected."

In addition, court records said, "In response to a special interrogatory, the jury also determined the father was responsible for serious bodily injury or the death of A.T. due to proven parental abuse or neglect."

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DOCUMENT: Thompson grand jury indictment - Note: This is NOT for the weak minded, I was so angry after reading this!

Poem for Aarone from her mother



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Indictment details tale of abuse that led to Aarone Thompson's death