How Could You? Hall of Shame-Connor Eckhardt 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 Newport Beach, California, Adoptee Connor Eckhardt,19, died after taking “K2”, synthetic pot.

“In middle school, Connor taught himself to play the guitar. He later helped with worship services at Master’s Ranch, a Christian boarding school in Missouri for troubled boys, which Connor attended at age 15 to help him work through emotions stemming from the knowledge that he was adopted.

Connor inspired many others to pick up the instrument there and helped them to learn how to play, the Ranch’s pastor, David Bosley, said.

Connor enrolled in Liberty University in Virginia to become worship leader after high school, but hadn’t yet completed the program.”

“As the family’s bedside prayer continued Thursday, the nurse entered to drape a blanket on Connor, then retreated.

Veronica now began to speak: “Connor, I’m your mama, will always be your mama, and there is nothing that can take that away.”

Connor, or “CJ,” as he was nicknamed, was adopted by the Eckhardts the day he was born, Oct. 19, 1994.

“I knew I would do anything for him,” Devin shared at the memorial, before draping a lei on the casket, a sign of respect in accordance with Hawaiian tradition. “It was an amazing experience. At that moment, I fully and completely loved him.”

Connor’s two siblings were also adopted.

Still, he wrestled with rejection, fear and abandonment, suffering from a “hole in his heart,” as his mother described it.

A propensity toward addiction also emerged in their son, whose biological mother apparently had not remained sober during pregnancy.

Veronica and Devin tried to be open with him, but when he embarked at age 18 on locating his birth parents, the process threw him head-first into drugs that seemed more likely to kill him than what ultimately did.

“Dad and I are going to fight what took life away too young,” his mother vowed in the hospital room at Hoag.

At 3 p.m. his sister Sabrina, just one year younger than Connor, sat in chair close to her brother.

Five-year-old Ashnika, their third sibling, adopted from Ethiopia, had discovered the Purell dispenser. Her white sandals squeaked on the linoleum floor as she moved from person to person, smothering the sanitizer on their hands.

At 3:15 p.m., Devin scooped up the energetic child in her bright green dress, telling her, “I need a hug from you.”

Soon, she would be giving Connor a kiss goodbye.

The other relatives began to gather their belongings. His maternal grandparents bid farewell, stroking his head, then his aunt and uncle, who took Ashnika from the room, spent one last moment with their nephew.

A nurse announced the helicopters that would take away Connor’s organs would be landing in 15 minutes.

The room cleared out, but Ashnika and her aunt returned. The 5-year-old had forgotten to tell her big brother something. Her aunt held her close to his head.

“I love you Connor,” she said.””

“In their last minutes with their son, Connor’s mom, dad, sister and close friend filmed a video about the danger of spice.

“This is our son, Connor Reid Echhardt,” Veronica began, speaking in a strained voice.

She continued, “He made the deadly choice to use a product called K2, or spice, and Connor is completely brain dead. […] This is not a game, it is totally real, please help us fight his fight.”

After the family took a moment for a private goodbye, a “transport team” moved Connor from the ICU, through the hospital’s hallways operating room. His family followed in close procession, right up to the operating room doors. That was as far as they were allowed to go, telling him one last time that they loved him, before his heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas would be removed.

Then it would be up to the surgical teams, which usually arrive separately by helicopter for each organ donated. That way, a donor’s gifts can be rushed away as soon as possible, often packed in a cooler with a cold, saline slush.

As the first group prepared for their work, a prayer from the family would be read. It began: “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for giving us Connor for 19 years. He is the most amazing person. He has left his imprint on the lives of so many people. He loved you with all his heart.”

Hours later, around 8 p.m., a helicopter departed with that very organ.”

‘Spice’ is a deadly ingredient[Daily Pilot 7/26/14 by Emily Foxhall]

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