A 47-year-old Penn Hills, Pennsylvania mother is in hot water after her twins have been missing for a decade, but no one seemed to notice.
However, when police became involved and questioned her on the children’s whereabouts, the woman made a shocking admission that has only led to more questions, a desperate search, and a disturbing 10-year mystery that needs to be solved
Patricia Fowler’s home, where police were sent to remove her children
Police were contacted by child services and asked to remove Patricia Fowler’s children from her home on June 20th. Four children were taken from the residence at the time. However, on July 6th, child services made a disturbing realization and contacted police once again. Instead of just 4, there should have been 6 children in the residence, but Fowler’s fraternal twins, Ivon and Inisha Fowler, were missing.
When the twin’s father was questioned, he claimed that Fowler told him that the children were living with an aunt in South Carolina. Fowler also told police that the children were in the custody of a South Carolina woman. However, when police contacted the woman, she said she never even knew Fowler had twin children.
Patricia Fowler (left), her twins Ivon and Inisha as infants (right)
When police questioned Fowler further, she made the shocking admission that she sold the twins 10 years ago for $2,000 each. During the police interrogation, she claimed that she met a man in a bar named Mike, who introduced her to a lady named Barbara. The woman allegedly visited the children a few times before purchasing them for a total of $4,000, Fowler alleged.
She had to be informed during the police interview that it was illegal to sell her children, at which point she withdrew her claim. “That’s the problem with her: She’s all over the place,” the police chief said. “We just don’t know what to believe or not to believe.”
According to Penn Hills Police Chief Howard Burton, he’s certain the children do exist, but their whereabouts remain a mystery. “They do exist, because at one time, when they were 3 or 4 years old, I believe, CYF (child services) did take those two children from Fowler,” Burton told WTAE News. Unfortunately, the children were returned to Fowler a few days later.
As the investigation to locate the children continued, police received a call from someone alleging to be Ivon. However, it turned out to be Fowler’s 18-year-old son, Datwon Fowler, pretending to be the missing boy. Police quickly saw through the scam and arrested Datwon for providing false information. His mother has been arrested as well. She is facing multiple charges, including child endangerment and obstruction.
As the twins remain missing, police have asked that if the public has any information, please contact the Center for Missing & Exploited Children or the FBI, who are now helping in the search. They have also released information to assist in the identification of at least one of the twins.
They report that Ivon has scarring from burns covering almost half of his body, including his face. He received the second and third-degree burns when he was just 2 years old. Fowler claimed they occurred in a bathtub and was never charged with the incident. Both twins would be about 17 years old now.
Since state law prohibits child welfare workers from saying why children are being monitored, it is unknown why child services decided to remove Fowler’s children from her home in June. What is known is that police were asked to remove the children because Fowler was “in violation of what CYF had told her to do,” according to Burton, who then added that he wasn’t allowed to provide more details about the children, including the missing twins.
These children were failed by the system, which happens far too often. As degenerate parents like Fowler are given second chances, the children are stripped of their chance for any semblance of a normal, happy, and healthy childhood. Had the twins been put into a loving home when they were taken from Fowler years ago, there wouldn’t be a desperate search for them now.
Fowler proved her incompetence as a mother when her child endured horrific burns “in a bathtub.” To know that she had been under child service monitoring since the twins were preschool age, but the children’s absence wasn’t noticed for over a decade, is absolutely unacceptable from an agency tasked with ensuring the well-being of the children. When the pair were never registered for school, red flags should have been raised.
Maybe Fowler should sit in a scolding hot bath until her children are found, and if, God forbid, the twins are not found alive, child services has blood on their hands as well. Those on Fowler’s case were neglectful in their duties, and they should be punished right along with this monstrous mother, along with any family members who fell for her story without attempting to stay in contact with their little loved ones. Two children’s lives were ruined forever because many adults failed them, and it’s inexcusable.
