Two of the Seattle ‘House of Horrors’ Emery brothers face judge on child porn charges

Two of three elderly Washington brothers found with hoards of child porn and other incriminating evidence inside their Seattle-area home, faced a judge on Thursday, but only one brother entered a plea.

Seattle Times reports that Thomas Emery, 80, and his older brother, 82-year-old Charles Emery, appeared in a Seattle courthouse on Thursday to face charges of “second-degree possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexual conduct.” Thomas Emery pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court again on September 28.

Charles Emery’s attorney, Jesse Dubow, requested that his client undergo a competency evaluation before entering a plea. Judge Sean O’Donnell signed the order to have Charles Emerson evaluated at Western State Hospital, but indicated that the hospital currently has a “chronic delay” in admitting patients.

The third brother, Edwin Emery, 78, also accused of child porn possession, is currently at the Harborview Medical Center. His arraignment is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Original Story

On Saturday morning, police brought in cadaver dogs to search a filthy, decrepit lake house located close to the Shelton, Washington, property of three elderly brothers who were recently arrested for possession of child pornography and child abuse. They’re also searching the land surrounding the home, in hopes of finding missing children in the area.

Authorities are searching a tiny, run-down lake house, covered in moss, on the side of a Shelton highway that belonged to Donald Emery. In 2016, Donald Emery passed away. Authorities feel he was likely involved in child pornography, among other things. His brother Charles is said to have lived there part-time.

Three brothers, Charles Emery, 82, Thomas Emery, 80, and Edwin Emery, 78, were charged last week after authorities found their Shelton home “littered floor to ceiling” with an array of nude children photos, toys, children’s shoes, underwear, and toys. Further, detectives found the flyer of missing 10-year-old Lindsey Baum (pictured) inside the residence, whose home in McCleary is around 30 minutes from the elderly men’s home. Lindsey disappeared in 2009 while walking home.

 

According to a criminal complaint, the home was filled with “images of minor female children both clothed and nude, “engaged in sexually explicit conduct and lascivious display.” Further, authorities found books and articles that detailed child homicide and missing children cases. A niece of the brother, appointed as legal guardian of Charles Emery after he developed dementia, alerted police to the home. She also told police that her uncles molested both her and her mother when they were children.

READ More: Three elderly brothers busted on child porn charges possibly linked to Lindsey Baum disappearance

KIRO 7 reports that authorities performed a thorough search of the home and didn’t find any children, but they believe the brothers spent decades sexually abusing children and possibly killing them. They’ve expanded the search not only to the lake house, but also to the 14 acres that surrounds the property. Under the direction of Internet Crimes Against Children task force, officers and their K-9s began searching the land on early Saturday morning.

“It’s a massive task. We don’t know for sure that bodies are buried there — and if there are, we don’t know where they are,” one of the officers said.

In addition to the staggering amounts of child pornography found inside the home, investigators also found a “manifesto” that detailed child murders, satanic rituals, and kidnapping and raping little girls.

Detectives are also focusing on whether the brothers are connected to the disappearance of Tracy West, a 17-year-old who was found murdered and killed not far from the brothers’ home. The case has remained cold for years.

The search, according to Capt. Mike Edwards of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, could last for weeks. He reiterated that they are still unsure if any missing children are on the property, but they won’t stop until the land is thoroughly searched.

“We have something like 14 acres to cover and it’s not like it’s all flat. It is hilly and wooded and difficult going.”

Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.

[Feature Photo: Twitter]