Lawsuit alleges Missouri boarding school operators trafficked, abused minor student

The proprietors of a now-shuttered Southwest Missouri boarding school are facing a new lawsuit by a former student alleging trafficking, coerced labor, isolation, and sexualized punishment while she was underage. The lawsuit, filed last week in the Western District of Missouri Southern Division court, was brought by Javairia Yankowy, who claims she spent four years at Wings of Faith Academy under the custody of the school’s owners, Debbie and Percy “Bud” Martin. The case also implicates Agape Boarding School, another Southwest Missouri Christian boarding school that has faced extensive abuse allegations.

According to the lawsuit, the Martins held Yankowy in custody as a minor and “isolated her from her family, moved her from state to state, transported her into Mexico and obtained her labor and services through coercion, fear, humiliation, surveillance and punishment.” The allegations include instances of abuse beginning when Yankowy was 14 years old. The lawsuit states she was “required to strip naked in front of defendants under the claimed pretense of ‘security.’”

The lawsuit further alleges that the Martins forced Yankowy to eat pork after being told that, because of her upbringing, she did not eat it. After she vomited, the lawsuit states, “Debbie Martin told her to eat the chunks out of her vomit from the plate.” Additionally, the case claims the Martins used “corporal punishment in a way that was degrading and sexualized,” including Debbie Martin striking girls with a long leather paddle while Bud Martin watched.

Jarrett Johnson, Yankowy’s attorney, said his firm has represented dozens of Missouri victims of boarding school abuse. The allegations come as lawmakers debate how much oversight Missouri should require for religious residential facilities. A state bill under consideration would make it easier for unlicensed Christian residential facilities to receive state placements of foster children. Instead of obtaining a license from the state, facilities could register with the Missouri Association of Christian Child Care Facilities.

Bud Martin was a board member for the Missouri Association of Christian Childcare Facilities as recently as 2021, according to state records. Chat Puckett, president of the association, said he was “unfamiliar with Percy ‘Bud’ Martin’s legal troubles,” and added, “it is a no-brainer that additional protections for children and actionable tools to safeguard them, legislatively, are incredibly important, and I will continue to come to the Missouri Capitol to advocate for those protections.”

The case highlights the need for accountability and transparency in institutions that serve minors, especially those operating under the guise of religious or educational missions. As Proverbs 31:8-9 reminds us, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for those who are destitute and in need of defense. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and the needy.” The pursuit of justice for vulnerable individuals remains a critical responsibility for all who seek to serve and protect the vulnerable.

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