Rohnor's Angels 2010
On September 28, 1854. the New York Times ran an article with the title: Murder of an Adopted Child in New-Orleans, describing the abuse and subsequent death of Christian Rohnor, a two-year-old boy, adopted by a couple from New Orleans. Christian Rohnor was locked up in the attic, starved to the point of being completely emaciated, and eventually beaten to death by his adoptive father.
The story of Christian Rohnor is almost entirely forgotten and we may like to think those barbaric times are long gone. We may be compelled to think that in the 156 years that have passed since the death of Christian Rohnor, adoption standards have been raised to the point that such horrific abuse of an adopted child no longer takes place.
Christian Rohnor may have been the first documented case of lethal abuse in an adoptive family, his death was certainly not the last. To this day adoptees are abused and killed by members found in their new "forever family". Every year there are several cases of adopted children being tortured to death, shaken to death or disciplined to death. 156 years after the cruelties performed on Christian Rohnor, there are still adopters who choose not to love, care for and protect their young additions, but instead, choose to lock up the children in their care, starve them, sexually abuse them and beat them to death.
In memory of Christian Rohnor, we honor the children who met their death due to abuse in adoptive families since Adoption Awareness Month 2009.
Rohnor's Angels 2010:Colin David Jones: Killed, Christmas Eve 2009, Loganville, Georgia
Lydia Schatz: Tortured to death, February 6, 2010, Paradise, California
Tristan Dosdall: Beaten to death, March 24, 2010, Peyton, Colorado
Collin Parker William Holdgrafer: Drowned, June 12, 2010, Andrew, Iowa
Kairissa XingJing Mark: Beaten to death, July 1, 2010, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
Larandon Nichols: Beaten to death, July 11, 2010, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
May these chosen adopted angels finally rest in peace.