Cases

4 year old girl adopted as an infant in Russia was molested by her older brother from Romania adopted at age 7. The boy spent his first 2 years tied to an orphanage crib, and was beaten and molested at a state-run orphanage and foster homes. He repeatedly sexually assaulted his sister and threatened to kill her and their mother.

Indonesian boy adopted at 2-months by Joe and Lala Dowse (Irish and Azerbaijani couple) was sent back to his mother land at the age of two after the adoptive couple were expecting a child of their own.

Lowell and Bonnie Billings adopted Aaron from Korea when he was 3 years old. At that time, a misprinted birth certificate sent from the adoption agency led them to believe that Aaron’s alien status had been changed to that of a U.S. citizen, and so they never pursued the naturalization process for him as adoptive parents are required to do. But in April 2001, Aaron was picked up for selling marijuana, and the INS identified him as an illegal alien. Because of the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, which imposed harsh regulations on non-citizens who commit crimes, even misdemeanors, Billings ended up detained in San Diego and facing deportation.

After a two-year campaign of legal appeals, letters from prominent community members, coupled with the Korean Consulate's hesitation to issue papers, Billings was suddenly released without explanation recently. He is still under "order of supervision" which leaves him vulnerable to being deported

Agency: Children's Home Society (California or Minn?)

Status: Unknown, believed to be in USA under "order of supervision"

 

Sunita Bhattarai left her son Ayush temporarily in a child care center. When she asked for him back, she was told she had to pay. She worked 3 months to earn money and returned to visit and ask for him again. She was told he was adopted to a family in Spain. She left the child care center and attempted suicide by lighting herself on fire with kerosene.

 
A translator explained Western adoption to the devout LDS parents, "It's something like a mission."
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9-year-old Brian Edgar, died of asphyxiation after his mouth had been taped shut and something like a sock had been stuffed in it.  According to the coroner, there were signs that Brian had vomited and that he had been bound around the chest with a belt.  In addition, the autopsy showed  Brian had been dead for several hours before being brought to the hospital. There were bruises on his cheeks and old marks on his wrists and ankles, suggesting he probably had been bound with a rope in the past. 

He was punished by his adoptive mother for stealing cookies.

Neil and Christy Edgar, pastors of God's Creation Outreach Ministry were also charged with abusing 3 other adopted children. Christy Edgar was referred to as a prophet, and reportedly claimed God told her to tie up children as a discipline method.

Three year old Christian was placed with along with his 2 younger siblings with inexperienced parents Angela and Ian Gay in Nov 2002. Six weeks after placement, Christian was admitted to a hospital then died. He had head injuries and a significant amount of salt in his bloodstream. The initial autopsy listed the cause of death as blunt force trauma.

Gays were initially found guilty of manslaughter. This verdict was overturned based on new medical evidence. At the second trial, they were found not guilty.

News reports of the second trial mention hydrocephalus and "salt diabetes" (Diabetes insipidus). Christian was alleged to have been diagnosed with hydrocephalus at 7 months. The condition was not monitored or disclosed to the Gays or the prior foster parents.

It is unclear if a medical condition, forced salt ingestion, physical abuse, or some combination of the three caused his death.

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In 1998 Jeffrey Baldwin and a sister were placed by Catholic Children's Aid with his maternal grandparents Elva Bottineau and Norman Kidman, who had been convicted of child abuse in 1970 and 1978 respectively. The grandparents had been given custody of 2 other siblings earlier. Jeffrey died 4 years later, after he and his next oldest sister had been starved, beaten, locked in an unheated room and forced to drink from a toilet. Jeffrey was never toilet trained and denied schooling. The 2 other siblings were trained to treat Jeffrey and his sister as 'pigs'. Jeffrey died at age 5 of septic shock from pneumonia complicated by his starvation. He was covered with wounds and weighed 21 lbs; one pound less than he weighed for his 12 month doctor visit.

There were 6 adults and 6 children under age 10 in the home. Bottineau and Kidman used the children as a source of income.  Bottineau and Kidman were convicted of 2nd degree murder and sentenced to 22 and 20 years, respectively.

See also
Children's Aid Society workers should be reined in, critics say
Kevin Libin: Readers detail rarely-seen ugly side of child-protection agencies

8-year-old Christopher Forder stricken with pneumonia, heavily bruised and nearing death, only to call 911 after he had dies. Kimberly Ann Forder, Christopher's adoptive mother abused and neglected him to the point of death, never seeking outside medical help as his pneumonia grew worse. Adoptive father Robert Forder was not charged, though he also did not call for help.

Kimberly and Bob Forder homeschooled and home-churched the children. They did not seek modern western health care treatment the children. They told police Christoper's injuries were due to reactive attachment disorder.

In addition to Christopher, who was adopted from Oregon DHS, Forders had 3 adult bio children and 4 adopted or foster children. In 2005, after Christopher's death, they adopted a set of infant triplets from Liberia with the assistance of West African Children Support Network (WACSN). In 2006, the Forders and the 7 remaining minor children moved to Liberia to serve as missionaries. Around the same time, one of their adult bio children was charged with raping another of their adult children.

In December 2007, the 7 adopted children were returned to Washington state from Liberia after Bob Forder had left them at a WACSN orphanage.

 
2-year old Maria Bennett, adopted by Susan Jane Bennett, died from shaken baby syndrome. Susan Jane Bennett, said that she had tripped while carrying Maria and had dropped her. Medical evidence proved otherwise. Susan Bennett pleaded no contest to 1 count of reckless homicide and was sentenced to 3 years in prison. Maria was adopted from Primorsky Krai, Russia 9 months prior to her death. Maria's older sister, also from Russia is cared for by Bennett family members