Jonathan Thomas is the younger brother of Beth Thomas, the lady who featured in the 1990 documentary titled Child of Rage: A Story of Abuse.
In that documentary, a six-year-old Beth disclosed with pent-up anger how she wanted to kill her adoptive parents and her little brother, Jonathan. The whole thing was quite shocking and threw an uncomfortable spotlight on the whole family. Thankfully, Beth was able to get therapy and has grown up to be a responsible adult. Her brother has, however, remained out of the spotlight.
Summary of Jonathan Thomas’ Biography
- Full name: Jonathan Thomas
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 1984 or 1983
- Jonathan Thomas’ Age: 41 or 40 years old
- Ethnicity: Caucasian
- Siblings: Beth Thomas
- Famous For: Beth Thomas’ brother
Jonathan Thomas and His Sister Suffered Abuse at the Hands of their Birth Father
Jonathan Thomas was seven months old in 1984. It means that he was either born in 1984 or 1983. It also means that he is presently 41 or 40 years old. Jonathan Thomas has American nationality and Caucasian ethnicity. The names of his family members are not known, but he has two siblings, an elder sister and a younger sister named Beth Thomas. Beth is about a year older than him.
Jonathan Thomas’ mother died when he was an infant, and he and his sisters were raised by their biological father. Their dad was, unfortunately, a horrible parent. He neglected their basic needs and gave them only a little food. The whole family lived in squalor. The then-infant Jonathan was often left lying on his back in the cot for hours, making his forehead bulbous and the back of his head quite flat.
Beyond the neglect, Jonathan Thomas’ father was a psychopath who sexually abused his two daughters. He started abusing Beth Thomas when she was just a year old and would often assault her so much so that her vagina bled.
They Were Later Adopted by Another Family
Jonathan Thomas and his sister, Beth Thomas, grew up in the worst environment possible, and their plight was later reported to social services, who took them away from their dad. They were subsequently placed for adoption in 1984 with a couple named Tim and Julie. At that time, Jonathan was seven months old, while his elder sister, Beth, was 19 months old.
Jonathan Thomas’ Sister Abused Him and Threatened To Kill Him and Their Adoptive Parents
Tim and Julie tried as much as possible to provide a loving home for Jonathan and his sister. Still, the abuse that Beth Thomas had suffered was so deep that it affected her psychologically, and she started manifesting very horrible behavior as the years went by. She took to masturbating often, sometime in the open.
She also dealt with little Jonathan. She stuck him with pins. She also sexually abused him, pinching, squeezing, and generally hurting his private part. Also, when Jonathan was about two years old, Beth smashed his head on a cement floor in the house, and he required care.
With time, Tim and Julie realized that many of their knives were missing, and it soon became obvious that Beth Thomas planned to kill them or her brother. They, therefore, took to locking her in her room at night to forestall such a situation.
Beth Thomas Later Got Therapy to Deal With Her Issues
Beyond locking Beth Thomas in her room, Tim and Julie realized that they had a big problem on their hands. So, they decided to get Beth Thomas the therapy and help she needed. They took her to see various psychologists, and amongst them was Dr. Ken Magid who tried to help Beth develop empathy and realize the wrongness of her actions, but most of these efforts failed.
Jonathan Thomas and Beth Thomas were later adopted by another couple, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. The couple also tried to get help for Beth, and they got in touch with a therapist named Connell Watkins. Watkins diagnosed Beth Thomas as suffering from RAD i.e. reactive attachment disorder, which is caused by a lack of love and nurture at a young age.
Having diagnosed Beth Thomas, Watkins took her into her home and started intensive behavioral modification therapy, which worked. Beth became empathetic, realized the wrongness of her actions, and stopped harming herself or others within a year.
Jonathan Thomas and His Sister Subsequently Had a Normal Childhood
All the while that Beth Thomas was in therapy, the young Jonathan Thomas was carrying on a normal life with the Thomases. When his sister returned, she was a changed person, and so they carried on with normal life as well. Though exact details are not available, they would have developed a normal sibling relationship as his sister stopped hurting him.
Their adoptive parents also put them in school, where they furthered their studies and also got to make friends as they grew older. Their adoptive parents also cared for them. For instance, Jonathan Thomas was diagnosed with a congenital heart issue at the age of two, and they made sure that he got the medical care that was needed to solve the condition so he could live a normal life.
Beth Thomas’ Story Has Been Chronicled in Movies and Documentaries
Beth Thomas’ life story and, by consequence, Jonathan’s, came to public consciousness after HBO aired a documentary titled Child of Rage: A Story of Abuse in 1990. The documentary chronicled the abuse that the kids suffered and the aftermath. It also featured tapes of some of Beth’s interview sessions with Dr. Ken Majid.
In it, she chillingly described wanting to murder her adoptive parents and brother. You could feel the rage oozing from her words, hence the documentary’s title. It was shocking to say the least and brought Beth and Jonathan into the spotlight. They were further spotlighted when a 1992 TV film titled Child of Rage was released. It featured the likes of Mel Harris, Dwight Schultz, Ashley Peldon, Sam Gifaldi, etc.
Jonathan Thomas Remains an Elusive Figure 30 Years On
It has been three decades since the airing of the Child of Rage documentary, and it still piques the public’s interest. They want to know what became of the kids, but we can only answer concerning Beth and not Jonathan. It is hard to tell where Jonathan Thomas is now or what he does for a living. There are no educational records about him or whether he married and started a family.
He could have even changed his name legally. The man disappeared from public view, and one can’t blame him, seeing the stigma that could be attached to him. He probably wanted to get far away from the whole bad show. If he is still alive, Jonathan Thomas would be 41 or 40 years old, and we can only hope that he is living a thriving life like his sister.
Beth Thomas is Now an Award-Winning Nurse and Author
While Jonathan Thomas has stayed out of the spotlight, his sister has decided to stay in the spotlight and make lemonade out of the lemons that life dealt her. Beth Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing science and is a registered nurse. She has worked at the neonatal unit of the Flagstaff Medical center in Arizona. She received an award for mentoring at the 2010 Mountain West Nursing Excellence Award winners.
Beth Thomas has also authored several books, including More Than a Thread of Hope (2007). In the blurb, she states that she is no longer a child of rage but an award-winning registered nurse and an amazing speaker. She reportedly got married in 2016 and lives in Arizona with her husband. It is not known if they have any kids.
