ZACHARY — After hearing Michael Hadden's guilty verdict Wednesday for sexually abusing three of his foster children, his neighbors said they had no idea what was going on inside his home.

Neighbors in the area told WBRZ that they generally keep to themselves, and the only time they would see Hadden is when he would come out and mow the lawn. One neighbor even said he would buy fruits and vegetables from Hadden. Neighbors said the only time they would see the boys is when they would catch the bus for school.

One neighbor who wished to remain anonymous said Hadden would sit outside and wait by the gate for the boys to come home from school.

“The school bus would pull up right in front of his house, and two boys would get off and the man would let them go through the gate. He would immediately get out of his chair, lock the gate, and the boys would walk over to a trailer and the man would go into the house,” she said.

The woman said she found it odd that Hadden would lock the gate immediately behind them as the boys walked straight to the trailer.

“They never looked up. They just looked at the ground as they walked, you know, kind of like a whipped puppy. They weren’t boisterous or anything like that. They knew what was expected. They walked through the gates and kept on walking to their trailer,” she said.

She said after reflecting, the signs were there all along.

“I’m thinking those poor boys. They couldn’t even go to the mailbox, you know, they were controlled. Once they got in that gate, they had no freedom to move whatsoever,” she said.

The woman said she would only see when he would meet the children at the bus stop.

“It’s not a house that you would just walk up to the front and knock and ask. It’s not welcoming like that. So yeah, it’s terrible and I’m glad he’s gone,” she said.

We reached out to the Department of Child and Family Services for comment and have not heard back.