6-year-old boy adopted from foster care by Kathlyn Anthony was forced to sleep in a plastic dog crate. Connecticut Department of Children and Families investigated previous allegations of abuse, but wasn't able to substantiate those.

Three boys, 2 adopted and 1 pre-adoptive placement were raped by single father Kenneth H. Brandt. He allowed two other men to have sex with one of the boys. Brandt had adopted/gotten custody the 3 boys and a girl from Texas in 2011. The children briefly enrolled in public education, but were removed from school, to be home-schooled. Prior to the adoptive placements, Brandt had at least 6 foster children in his home.

Brandt pleaded guilty to 6 counts of rape and was sentenced to 60 years.

One boy and four girls between the age of 10 and 13, adopted by Jeffrey and Rebecca Trebilcock, were systematically starved. The eldest child, a 13-year-old boy weighed just 49 pounds, fifty pounds below average. He gained 25 lbs in the first 2 months away and more than 60 pounds 7 inches in the 15 months after he was removed from the house.

The Trebilcocks, whose 4 biological children (3 adult, 1 minor) were fully nourished, had a custom made alarm system installed to prevent the adopted children from entering the kitchen. They ate a vegetarian or vegan diet, which is encouraged, though not required, by the Seventh Day Adventist church. Becky had had weight loss surgery in Mexico and Jeff was obese.

Two children, a boy and a girl, were adopted from the Washington foster care system in 2004. In 2008, after Trebilcocks had been turned down for more foster care adoptions due to house size, they adopted the 3 girls from Haiti. They had just received an approved homestudy for another private adoption, allegedly for a child from Africa.

Shanda Lou Yenglin, a single mother, adopted four children (2 boys and 2 girls) from foster care.She had a history of substantiated abuse and neglect of her children dating to 2002, She hit one boy in the head with a wrench, other children were having their hair pulled, being hit with hangers, and being pushed against the walls.One boy was slammed onto the bathroom floor with enough force to crack his three front teeth. She did not seek dental repair until the following day, when she instructed the boy to tell the dentist he slipped and fell.

Yenglin lost temporary custody of the four children in May 2010 amid an investigation by the state Department of Human Services, but was nevertheless allowed unsupervised visits. During the third visit, Yenglin gave the children drug-laced milkshakes and led them out to sleep in a minivan running inside a closed garage. Shanda Lou Yenglin managed to kill herself from carbon-monoxide poisoning. The four children survived.

A 15-year-old and a 11-year-old boy and 9-year-old girl, adopted by John Edward Kluth and Sonja Kay Kluth, were allegedly beaten, choked, whipped, and burned.  In addition, the adoptive parents allegedly forced the youngsters to eat pet food, kept both boys confined to the basement, and locked the oldest son in a dog crate for up to two months.

According to news reports, the adoptive father claimed he and his wife were going to be accused of child abuse, but the children came to them already damaged.

The Canadian County Sheriff says the couple was receiving $4,500 a month support money from the state of Wisconsin, where they adopted the children before moving to Oklahoma.

18-year-old girl, adopted in 1997, by Anne Marie Hinrich was physically abused and viciously mistreated by her adoptive mother.

4-year-old boy adopted from foster care by Deirdra Harris was beaten with a belt all over his body by his adoptive mother. Harris had been investigated twice for child abuse. 

10-year-old twins adopted by Carmen and Jorge Barahona were physically abused. Florida Department of Children and Families investigated the family on several occasions. On February 14, 2011, Victor was found by the side of Interstate 95 doused in chemicals, his adoptive father had poured gasoline on himself and his adopted son, with the plan to set himself and the boy on fire. Police found the dead body of Nubia wrapped in plastic in the bed of the pickup.
There were 2 other adopted children in the home.

9-year-old girl adopted by Kimberly Dye was murdered by her 18-year-old adoptive brother. Several reports about abuse had been ignored by Kentucky authorities.

  Austin (left) Edward (right)
Two brothers, adopted by Edward and Linda Bryant, both went missing. Edward (age 9 at the time) disappeared in 2001. Austin (age 7 at the time) disappeared in 2003. One of the boys was reportedly denied food, spanked, forced to run up and down stairs and rolled up tightly in blankets as punishment. Bryants reported they were advised to roll the children in blankets "like a burrito" by a Colorado therapist.

The Bryant's moved to Texas in 2005 and never declared the boys missing. They kept receiving adoption subsidies for the remainder of the decade, grossing in $175,000. They were arrested early 2011.