exposing the dark side of adoption
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abuse case
The assumption behind child-placement is that the safety and living conditions of a child improve. These cases demonstrate that this assumption is often invalid.
child trafficking case
There is often a fine line between adoption and child trafficking. In many cases this line is being crossed.
coerced adoption case
Adoption is assumed to be the result of a choice made by the parents of the child. These cases demonstrate women are pressured to give up their children.
deportation case
Adoptions before 1997, didn't automatically lead to naturalization. As result, people adopted from outside the outside US that ran into problems with the justice system face deportation to their country of birth.
disrupted placement case
Although the adoptive family is called the "forever family" by the adoption industry, adoptions can end in disruption. These cases demonstrate that the "forever family" is sometimes only temporary
father's rights violation case
Adoption requires the consent of both biological parents. These cases demonstrate that the rights of fathers in adoption cases are being violated.
wrongful medication case
Children in foster care can have serious mental health issues. Too often these children are given large doses of psychotropic medications, just to keep them quiet.
wrongful removal case
The removal of children from their family's should always be a last resort. These cases demonstrate that Child Protective Services sometimes remove children for all the wrong reasons

Chelsea Mensinger

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Sep 15
11 year old girl adopted by her grand parents Charles and  Rita Mensinger. After having shot her husband Mensinger fled, bringing Chelsea with her. She later shot Chelsea and herself. Charles Mensinger survived his wife's attack on him.
abused adoptees, physical abuse, relative adoption, murder-suicide, firearms related, lethal abuse
Pennsylvania (state of the USA)
Dupont - PA

Rachel Joy Thompson

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Sep 7

5 year old girl adopted by Gerald and Angela Thompson. She was murdered by Angela Thompson who forced an older sibling to sit on her hunched back for more than three hours, squeezing the life out of her. Angela Thompson was convicted for the abuse of two other children she had adopted. In total the Thompsons adopted 11 children. Thompson told a co-worker "spare the rod, spoil the child". Siblings of Rachel later pressed charges against the adoption agency, which was placed on probation and its founder Audrey Foster has been permanently barred from serving as executive director at any of the agency's five branches around the state. The agency is now run by her daughter Alison Foster. Angela Thompson serves life in prison.

abused adoptees, physical abuse, torture, fundamental faith, domestic private adoption, lethal abuse
California (state of the USA)
Family Connections Christian Adoptions
Springfield - CA

Grace Lee Bogey (Gracielo Cano)

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Sep 2
Grace Bogey, who was born with spina bifida and was paralyzed from the waist down, died on Sept. 2, 2000 at 3 years old. Autopsy results showed she died from head injuries resulting from abuse, 4 weeks after the adoption was complete. Her adoptive mother Veronica Bogey, and grandfather Terry/Teri Bogey were charged.

Grace's foster family had objected to the placement in part because "they thought Bogey was actually a man pretending to be a woman". Veronica's father, Terry/Teri  Bogey ("a self-described hermaphrodite who claims also to be Veronica Bogey's mother") moved in during the preadoption period.

Veronica Bogey was acquitted. Terry Bogey pleaded no contest in August 2003 to a minor charge of third-degree child abuse.
in a separate civil case adoptive mother Veronica Bogey was found to be responsible, and therefore subject to monetary penalties.
abused adoptees, physical abuse, foster care adoption, single-mothers, special needs adoption, lethal abuse
New Mexico (state of the USA)
Roswell - NM

Casey "C.J." Elgie

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Aug 30

5 year old Vietnamese boy, adopted by Jessica Vitale-Elgie and William Elgie, died 10 hours after ingesting a detergent/bleach solution from a bucket soaking his recently soiled underclothes. CJ was developementally delayed and weighed 30lbs. Ms Vitale-Elgie admitted she was disciplining the boy and let him suffer for hours prior to taking him to the hospital.

The Elgie's had a 6 yr girl from Korea and twin infant bio sons at the time of CJ's death. Ms Elgie had sought various therapies including attachment therapy for CJ.

Vitale-Elgie pleaded guilty in December 2002 to negligent homicide but later withdrew the plea when faced with a state prison term. In 2004, she was convicted of misdemeanor child endangerment. William Elgie was never charged. Both he and his now ex-wife were ruled neglectful parents during Family Court proceedings.

At the time of the adoptive mother's conviction, she was on a paid leave from her job as a special-education teacher in the Buffalo (NY) school system.

abused adoptees, attachment therapy, international adoption, medical neglect, Lethal neglect
Vietnam, Republic of Korea (South Korea)
New York (state of the USA)
Amherst - NY

Michael Stamatis

⬤ public
disrupted placement case
2000 Jul 1
17-year-old boy adopted from Romania was adopted by a Vermont couple at the age of 15. His adoptive parents dissolved the adoption when he acted out sexually.
disrupted adoption
Romania
Vermont (state of the USA)

15 children placed with Bill and Debbie Rettew

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Jun 1
Fifteen special-needs children, four of whom adopted, and the rest informally placed with Bill and Debbie Rettew were physically abused, medically neglected, and denied food as punishment.

In February 2002, a deal was struck with the Rettews, in order for them to get some of their children back. The Rettews agreed to a court order that found that “they physically and educationally neglected their 15 children.”

The court ordered that most of the children be enrolled in public or private school, that they be allowed ample socialization time as decided by the in-home therapy team, and that they be provided with any medical care or therapy advised by social services.

At least three of the children asked that they not be returned to the Rettews; it is not clear how many eventually returned.
neglect, abused adoptees, physical abuse, home schooling, parent of the year, fundamental faith, discipline, special needs adoption, food deprivation, belt, ruler, more than 12
South Carolina (state of the USA)
Greer - SC

Children adopted by Charles and Marjorie Moss

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 May 11
Eight children adopted from foster care were abused by Marjorie; she punched children, hit them with a wooden paddle, locked them outside for hours with no food or water, held their heads under hot water, and threatened them with a gun.
abused adoptees, physical abuse, foster care adoption, torture, spoon, discipline, paddle, food deprivation, locked out, large family
Florida (state of the USA)
Plant City - FL

Candace Newmaker (Candace Tiara Elmore)

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Apr 18

Candace Elizabeth Newmaker (19 November 1989 — 18 April 2000) was a victim of child abuse, killed during a 70-minute treatment session supposedly to treat reactive attachment disorder. The form of diagnosis and the treatments used were unvalidated and non-mainstrean methods practised within the field of attachment therapy.

abused adoptees, attachment therapy, physical abuse, foster care adoption, torture, asphyxiation, lethal abuse, restraints
North Carolina (state of the USA)
Durham - NC

Girl adopted by Richard and Ann Stenfeldt

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Apr 6
11 year old girl adopted at age 7 from Lithuania along with her 3 younger brothers in 1996 was allegedly repeatedly raped by her father. Outcome of the case is uncertain.
abused adoptees, international adoption, Sexual abuse
Lithuania
Massachusetts (state of the USA)
Wide Horizons for Children
Plainville - MA

Joseph Beebe

⬤ public
abuse case
2000 Mar 17
Eight year old boy and one of six children adopted by Brian and Edith Beebe. All children were beaten with a rod, locked in a room without food or water and sometimes dragged by their hair. Joseph died, his body covered with bruises from beating with a bamboo rod. The Beebees were adoptive parents to 6 special needs children, Joseph was one of a set of triplets adopted.
abused adoptees, physical abuse, foster care adoption, torture, home schooling, fundamental faith, discipline, special needs adoption, food deprivation, forced confinement, lethal abuse, belt
Texas (state of the USA)
Tarkington Prairie - TX
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