John Smith, died with 54 bruises, including three adult bite marks, on his body. The boy, was seen with injuries in four of the six months he spent with his prospective adoptive parents Simon and Michelle McWilliam. His penis was cut, his face burnt and his body bruised from head to toe, injuries seen by social workers who never once sought medical help for him. 

John died on Christmas Eve 1999 from a severe brain haemorrhage, which experts testified was caused by blows normally seen on battered boxers.

In November of 1999 the half-naked disabled adoptive son of Emily Miller was found tied to a plastic bucket partially filled with urine. During the examinations, it was revealed two children in the care of  Emily Miller had died earlier. First in January 1993, 4-month-old Ieisha Dyson died after being born with a significant birth defect and in April 1995 DuJuan Miller, Emily Miller's 2-year-old adopted son died, supposedly of sudden infant death syndrome.

---

All material kindly provided by Jack Kresnak President & CEO of Michigan's Children

Tom Cusick adopted or fostered 28 children, 4 girls and 24 boys. Most of boys were 8 or 9 year old when placed with him. Cusick was unmarried, but had a live-in female companion. At least 5 of the boys accused him of sexually abusing them.

Cusick committed suicide 2 days before the trial was to begin. Cusick claimed to be a famous composer, but apparently his income was only from foster and adoption subsidies.

   

Nine year old boy adopted by John and Melanie Lowrance, drowned with severe head injury, first ruled as an accident. Weeks later, police learned the adoptive parents took out $650,000 in life insurance policies on their new son. No charges were ever made. He was placed in the Lowrance's as a foster child in Jan 1998. His adoption was finalized Oct 1998

21-month-old girl adopted by Martha Yannette Melendez was beaten to death. During the trial Martha Melendez fled to Mexico and was extradited 5 years later

Paul Anthony Morris stomped his 7-year-old foster daughter to death. Mr. Morris hit the child with his fists and a belt, then stomped on her and jumped on her with both feet. His wife Sheree Morris was not charged

28-month-old girl adopted by Patricia Blackmon, was beaten to death by her adoptive mother. The girl had been adopted 9 months prior.

Blackmon was sentenced to death. As of 2015 she still remains on death row.

6 year old boy was admittedly shaken by mother Royce Elaine Clark. The next day he was unresponsive and taken to a hospital where he died. Murder and child abuse charges were filed, but later dismissed when prosecutors felt they couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Clark caused the fatal injuries.

Four children between 3 and 9 being beaten with boards, locked in a basement without food and doused with cold water as punishment.

Nine-year-old girl was sexually abused by her adoptive father David Karl Danser. He took sexually explicit photographs of her which he shared with a ring of child pornographers in the Bloomington, Indiana area, further consisting of Pirie Scott Cleveland, Charles Poole and Bill Platz. The arrest of these four eventually lead to the arrest of Eric Franklin Rosser, who became one of ten America's most wanted fugitive criminals.

David Karl Danser was convicted and sentenced to 370 months imprisonment and was ordered to pay his adoptive daughter restitution in the amount of $309,549.36. He currently stays at the Federal Correctional Institute in Petersburg, Virginia and is scheduled for release in 2025.