CRHE mourns Kayden Gavarrete, 7-year-old homeschooled child in Indiana

Child advocacy group calls for stronger legal protections for homeschooled children

[Washington, DC]: On December 22, 2024, Kayden Gavarrete, a 7-year-old boy homeschooled in Indianapolis, Indiana, was found dead under suspicious circumstances. We at the Coalition for Responsible Home Education (CRHE), the only national nonprofit founded and run by homeschooled adults advocating for homeschooled children, mourn the loss of Kayden’s life.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Kayden allegedly suffered systemic abuse and was severely malnourished when his body was found. Kayden’s father also reportedly told detectives that his son had not seen a doctor in a year or two. His father and his father’s girlfriend both face multiple charges related to Kayden’s death. They had begun to homeschool Kayden at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, several months before he died. This is a developing story, and we will continue to monitor it.

Kayden’s story is devastating, but it also follows an unfortunately familiar pattern. At CRHE, we maintain Homeschooling’s Invisible Children, the world’s only database of extreme child abuse and neglect cases in homeschool settings. In the nearly 500 cases in our database, 49% of them, including Kayden’s, involve depriving children of food. Lax homeschool laws nationwide that have little or no provisions to ensure that children are safe and educated ultimately enable this kind of prolonged, intentional abuse. Sadly, since 2000, at least 220 abused and neglected homeschooled children have lost their lives.

Every child who is homeschooled deserves to be cared for and safe at home. At CRHE, we remain committed to protecting children like Kayden. We continue to conduct research, develop resources, and advocate for policies that prioritize homeschooled children’s wellbeing and education. To that end, we urge Indiana lawmakers to implement the Make Homeschool Safe Act, which contains measures that protect homeschooled children from abuse and neglect. It’s time to give children like Kayden the protection they deserve.