Former coroner’s office employee testifies in trial of slain 8-year-old Springfield Township boy

By Ken Brown

CINCINNATI (WXIX) – The sixth day in the trial of two Springfield Township parents facing charges in the 2016 death of their adopted son saw a former Hamilton County Coroner’s Office employee take the stand.

John and Katherine face 26 total charges in connection with the death of their adoptive son, 8-year-old Adam Snyder, according to the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office.

Adam was one of five children with learning disabilities the couple adopted from China, court documents show.

Prosecutors claim Adam died after Katherine slammed his head for soiling himself on Oct. 4, 2016.

Throughout the first five days of testimony, it was established that Adam was not built like you would expect a child of his age to be.

Testimony revealed the Snyder’s told doctors he had stopped eating in the days prior to his passing.

“He was very thin, had very little muscle mass,” testified former Hamilton County Coroner’s Office employee Dr. Gretel Stehpens. “He had multiple areas where he had injuries to the skin, had changes to multiple joints that looked like they were stiff and probably not bending and usable.”

Dr. Stephens has since retired from the Hamilton County Coroner’s office, but she performed the autopsy on Adam in the days following his death.

The most impactful part of her testimony came when she discussed where they found a bruise on Adam’s head.

She said from the witness stand the bruise was in a place that was not consistent with someone throwing themselves or hitting their own head, which is what the defense asserts happened to Adam.

“The point where the bruise is located is off to the right and underneath as the skull curves under to join the neck,” Dr. Stephens said. “So here, we are finding this unusual contusion was in this area.”

Katherine took Adam to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead due to a blunt-force traumatic impact to his head, according to Hamilton County prosecutors.

Testimony continues on Oct. 23 at 11 a.m.