Children starved, doctors to testify

PROVO — Prosecutors say they plan to have several doctors testify during a hearing in January that a Saratoga Springs couple were starving their two adopted Russian children.

Teresa and Reed Hansen appeared in 4th District Court Tuesday to request that the state reveal its evidence against them in a preliminary hearing, scheduled for Jan. 17.

Both parents are charged with two second-degree felony counts of child abuse/neglect and one class A misdemeanor count of child abuse.

Prosecutors allege that between July 2001 and February 2002, the Hansens withheld food, sometimes days at a time, from a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl they adopted from Russia.

Investigators from Utah County contend that the couple withheld the food as a form of punishment for bad behavior. Investigators also allege the couple would lock the boy in the bathroom with no bedding or clothing for several days at a time.

The case came to light when a Washington pediatric physician who specializes in Russian orphans noted that the children were severely malnourished.

The two children, along with a third adopted Russian child and three biological children, have been placed in state custody.

In court Teresa Hansen's attorney, Mike Esplin, said the preliminary hearing would likely last all day and would involve a number of witnesses from both the prosecution and the defense.

Reed Hansen's attorney, Sheldon Carter, said they plan to defend the couple by bringing forward medical experts of their own.

Publication date: 2002 Nov 6

Cases: children adopted by Theresa and Reed Hansen