Escape of Texas twins leads to arrest of abusive mother and boyfriend

The couple fled with their other five children after they were reported to local authorities and were arrested in Louisiana

• This article contains descriptions of child abuse

After making a break for it to get away from their abusive mother and her boyfriend in Texas, handcuffed and barefoot 16-year-old twins were turned away repeatedly by neighbors as they went door-to-door looking for help, before a Good Samaritan let them inside and summoned help, according to authorities.

That woman's call to authorities prompted an interstate search for the twins' siblings, which ended in Louisiana's capital city and led to the arrests of the allegedly abusive couple at the center of a case that has caused shock across two US states.