Local investigators hope to talk with Hansens and Russian child

By BRIAN MOSELY

Efforts are underway to arrange for an interview with the Russian boy who has claimed he was abused by his adoptive family in Shelbyville.

District Attorney General Chuck Crawford has requested Bedford County Sheriff's Department, as well as Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, to look into the matter of an adopted child who was returned to Russia by a Shelbyville family last week.

According to a statement released Tuesday afternoon by the 17th Judicial District, the TBI and sheriff's officials "are currently investigating the acts and omissions of both Torry Hansen and Nancy Hansen."

However, TBI spokeswoman Kristin Helm reportedly stated that they hasn't assigned anyone to the case, but told The Tennessean that "if the local authorities need us, we're here for them."

The family have become the focus of an international incident after Nancy Hansen put 7-year-old Justin Hansen on a one-way flight back to his homeland unaccompanied.

However, Bedford County investigators have not been given a chance to speak to the Hansens to get their side of the story.

"An interview with both would be extremely helpful in our efforts to discover what events led to Torry Hansen's decision to attempt to nullify the adoption and why the Hansens sought to accomplish that goal in the matter they purportedly did," the statement read.

But in order for the investigation to be concluded, the statement indicated that "it is imperative that law enforcement be allowed to communicate with the child as well."

"An effort is already underway to arrange that interview," the statement read.

The only criminal charges that could potentially be pursued locally are any that may have been allegedly committed "at least in part in Bedford County," so investigators must also determine where any of the alleged events in the matter took place.

"Law enforcement in this jurisdiction considers this an extremely serious matter and is proceeding with the investigation accordingly," according to the statement.

The child was flown from Nashville to Dulles International Airport, located in Loudoun County, Virginia, outside of the Washington, DC area, and then onto Russia.

Loudoun County prosecutor Jim Plowman said in a statement Tuesday that the conduct of the Hansens was "troubling," but added that the mere fact that the boy flew from Dulles to Moscow does not give him jurisdiction to prosecute the case.

Crawford's statement also recognized "the concerns and interests of the media and the public" and said that the news crews that are currently camped out waiting for an update "will be kept informed as the investigation progresses."

"We respectfully request your patience as we proceed with our efforts to find the truth as quickly as the circumstances of the case allow."

News crews from Nashville and beyond were still at various locations around Shelbyville on Tuesday.

A CNN news crew, complete with a satellite truck, was doing live updates from the public square on Tuesday, while a satellite dish was pointed toward the sky at the Hansen residence in El Bethel. But several of the networks, such as MSNBC, appeared to have left the area.

But there was also some indiction that there was someone inside the Hansen home when the T-G visited the property on Tuesday.

Boyce said late Monday that the Hansens have refused to speak to investigators unless charges are filed against them. Investigators are also looking for potential violations of the law, such as possible child abandonment and endangerment charges.

The case continues to have international repercussions, with the U.S. ambassador to Russia stating that he hoped the incident won't jeopardize adoptions of Russian children by U.S. citizens.

Ambassador John Beyrle said during an interview on CBS's "The Early Show" from Moscow that outrage over the incident has been expressed in the United States as well as the boy's home country.

Beyrle said the boy currently is being attended in a Moscow hospital and is "in good hands," adding that U.S. officials are "willing to talk about some sort of bilateral understanding where we would ensure that these kinds of things could not happen."