Cases

7-year-old girl adopted by Terri and Pamela Dennis died after having been unresponsive for over eight hours. Her death was caused by blunt force trauma.

The girl had been adopted 5 months prior to her death.

Two children (aged 6 and 7), adopted by  Damien and Allonna Stovall were allegedly beaten with a belt and wooden spoon. In September 2012, the Stovalls were named "Angels in Adoption" upon recommendation of Sen. Chuck Grassley. The charges of abuse were dismissed without prejudice.

6 month old girl adopted by Lian and her husband was slapped and thrown to the ground by Lian. They waited until the next day to take the baby girl to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

A girl and a boy adopted by Donald and Linda Hannah were physically abused by their adoptive parents. The girl was also sexually abused by her adoptive father. When the girl reported the sexual abuse to her adoptive mother, she was accused of lying. The girl was also made to sleep outside as punishment.

3 children, aged 9, 10 and 11 years, were starved by their adoptive parents Mark and Susan Hooper. The three children were adopted by the Hoopers in 2007, six years prior to the discovery of the abuse.

3 girls adopted by Dwight and Janet Solander were abused by their adoptive parents.

The abuse was first discovered by a nanny, who reported the case with the Nevada, authorities. The children were subsequently sent off to a boarding school in Florida.

8-year-old girl adopted by Cindy Patriarchias was locked up in a home made wooden cage, while her adoptive mother and  her live-in boyfriend Edmond Gonzales went out.

Girl adopted as a baby from 'a developing country' was sexually abused by her adoptive father for at least 2 years while she was 8 and 9 years old. The unnamed adoptive father, referred to as Mr. X, has a history of sexual assaults beginning in 1954.
He was sentenced to 4 years for sexual touching.

Three-year-old boy adopted (together with his brother Kristopher) from Russia by  Alan and Laura Shatto, died a few days after his birth day. Preliminary evidence showed that the boy suffered multiple injuries to his head, limbs, abdomen and internal organs prior to death. A grand jury concluded the boy's death was accidental, and no charges were filed. Max Shatto was adopted in November 2012, just two-and-a-half months before his death.

4-year-old girl adopted by Jerome Mitchell and Hermina Ibarra was allegedly abused by the couple. There also appeared to be signs of sexual abuse.