How Could You? Hall of Shame-Adonous Green case-Child Death

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From St. Stephen, South Carolina, another 2011 case that we previously missed reveals that foster child Adonous Green, 12, drowned in a pond on June 1, 2011 after only being in this placement for about 1 month.

“Shortly after school let out for the summer Friday, Adonous Green and Gary Adams grabbed their dog Biscuit and headed out for a walk down their rural country road.

The two boys, both 12, lived in a foster home along a dusty, dirty lane that cuts through the pines. It’s a rustic stretch that served as their football field, basketball court, bike path — a quiet backwater where they could run free and explore.

Like most days, Biscuit headed down a path straight for a small pond where he liked to cool off. The normally shallow pond — more of a muddy ditch, really– had recently swollen with water, possibly from an underground stream, neighbor Sabrina Wright said. It was inviting on a hot day.

This time, however, Biscuit’s collar got caught on a branch, Wright said. He was stuck.

Adonous went in after him, but soon found himself struggling in the 11-foot-deep water,
authorities said. Gary went in after him while another boy ran to find an adult.

By the time help arrived, both boys were under water, the Berkeley County coroner has said.
Emergency workers located the friends and rushed them to nearby hospitals. Adonous died Friday; Gary the following day. Both deaths have been ruled accidental.

“It’s so sad,” Wright said. “They were nice, normal boys. We’re just kind of numb right now.”
Biscuit the dog managed to escape, Wright said, and is back at the home.

On Monday, a black wreath hung outside the double-wide mobile home off Beulah Tabernacle Drive where the boys had been living. A woman who answered the door said Hester Adams, the foster mom who owns the home, was too upset to discuss the incident.

Wright, who lives next door, said Adams is her mother-in-law. She said Adams is a kind-hearted woman who has been a foster parent for more than 15 years, caring for a number of kids, some with sad and troubled pasts.

“So many kids have come and gone through that house,” she said. “It seems like she has been doing that forever.”

Adams had adopted Gary and his 13-year-old brother, Javone, some time ago, Wright said. Adonous had been placed with her about a month or so ago, she said, and the boys got along well. They had finished classes Friday at St. Stephen Middle School about 11 a.m., just six hours before they plunged into the pond, she said.

Officials from the state Department of Social Services did not get back to The Post and Courier by press time with information regarding the boys’ placement at the foster home.

Adriane Green, Adonous’ mother, has raised questions about why the boys weren’t supervised at the time of the incident. She has said her son had an attention disorder and was supposed to be supervised “24-7.”

Capt. Rick Ollic of the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office said the incident remains under investigation and that it is too early to determine if charges might be pursued.

In addition to the coroner and the sheriff’s office, the State Law Enforcement Division’s Child Fatality Team is part of the investigation. Ollic said detectives plan to meet with the SLED team in the next couple of days to assess the case. ”
Pond was deathtrap for 12-year-old boys
[Post and Courier 6/7/11 by Glenn Smith]

“Officials say Adonous Green drowned in this pond when he went in after his dog. What the young boy didn’t know is that the small body of water was too deep to swim out of.

Officials say when the mother got to the pond, both boys were missing. By the time rescuers arrived and found the two boys, both were in cardiac arrest.

UPDATE: Child drowns in pond in St. Stephen
[Count on 2 6/3/11 by Brendan Clark]

“The pond is about 11 feet deep.

Rescuers pulled the boys out of the water, administered CPR and transported them to area hospitals.”

“Emergency responders pulled the boys from the water but they were in full cardiac arrest, Salisbury said. He said he believes they had both been underwater for about 40 minutes.”
Two SC boys die after being pulled from pond
[ABC local 6/5/12 by Associated Press]

REFORM Puzzle Pieces

Was Adonous being monitored enough as his mother said he required 24/7 monitoring due to ADD?

The article states that the family wants an investigation, but we have yet to find media reporting that an investigation actually took place.