Summary of International Adoption Hall of Shame Cases UPDATED

Our How Could You? Hall of Shame contains cases with a broader scope  than cases of abuse, untimely death  and injury of adoptees. It also includes cases of officials, crimes caused by adoptees and other crimes caused by those in child welfare such as forgery, abandonment and identity theft.

The following is a summary of cases since our onset in January 2011 that involve international adoptees to the US and/or their adoptive parents.

Since January 2011, there have been the following number of cases in the news of deaths of international adoptees: 9

The deaths by sending country are as follows:

Russia 3

Guatemala 2

China 2

Taiwan 1

Ethiopia 1

There are 24 other cases that we have covered that involve international adoption.

The sending country breakdown of all 33 cases is as follows:

Russia 13

China 4

Guatemala 4

Ethiopia 3

Ethiopia and China 1

Philippines 2

Ukraine 2

Ukraine and Bulgaria 1

Taiwan 1

Ghana 1

Haiti 1 (case also involves children from US foster care)

Specific Cases

Russia

(1) Ilya Kitching   was a minor adoptee who committed suicide in Michigan in 2012.

(2) Shad and Christy Traylor are adoptive parents from Florida. They were widely reported about (and names usually misspelled) in Russian news in late 2012 for their arrest for abuse of their 6-year-old son with the Russian name of Maxim Babayev. Their case was dismissed and Russian authorities have not been able to speak to the child. This has caused international relations issues.

(3) Matthew and Amy Sweeney are adoptive parents from Virginia. They were arrested for ongoing abuse of their 8-year-old son. Matthew is charged with 1 felony count of abuse. Amy is charged with 1 felony count of neglect.  The child was adopted in 2006 from the Tula region (the same region as a murdered adoptee David Polreis, Jr.). There have been no media updates since July 2012. A review of court case records indicates that a grand jury will convene on January 7, 2013.

(4) Texas abuse case of 3 unnamed Russian adoptees  They were adopted in 2002. One has run away. The other two remain in the home. Allegations include  starvation, broken teeth, and living in  squalor . Activists had been trying to assist to no avail. Two dozen people have filed complaints to no avail. A CPS worker has risked her license to protect the children.

(5) 16-year-old Russian adoptee Anton Batrakov reported his own abuse to Russia and asked to be returned to Russia. He was adopted at age 14 or older.

(6) Adoptive parent Theresa McNulty  of Pennsylvania pled guilty to to misdemeanor charges of endangering the welfare of a child and simple assault  on her toddler daughter. The incidents that included burns and severe bruising on the face occurred in 2008 and 2009. In October 2011, she was sentenced to 8-23 months in jail.

(7) Russian adoptee  Isaac Dykstra died of blunt force head trauma in 2005 when he was 20 months old. The adoptive father, Brian, was not arrested until 2008. The trial was delayed until 2011.  Brian was charged with second degree murder.The trial was in late October 2011. On November 4, 2011, Brian was acquitted in his murder though he failed to seek medical care for days for the child’s head injury.

(8)Russian adoptee Ksenia Anotova was adopted to Georgia by Martha Annette Blendorf/Blendord and subsequently disrupted to her adoptive mother’s relative who raped her at age 15. The defense is arguing that she really is 16 and claims her adoptive papers were forged. Trial was supposed to take place in October 2012. There have been no media updates since this time.

(9)From Colorado,  Edelwina and Steve Leschinsky , adoptive parents of 3 female siblings aged 12, 13, and 14 at time of arrest, were  charged with felony child abuse in March 2010. “Discipline” included running 45 miles in 3 days, doing “fisties” to the extent that it deformed one of the girls’ hands and doing pushups on a board of nails. In May 2011, Edelwina pled guilty to one count of felony child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and three counts of misdemeanor child abuse. Steve pled guilty to three misdemeanor child abuse charges. Their sentence was 4-year deferred sentence concurrent with 4 years of probation and their parental rights were terminated.

(10) Adoptee Nathaniel Craver ,7, died of blunt force head injury on August 25, 2009. Adoptive parents Michael and Nanette were charged with homicide, conspiracy and endangering the welfare of a child in February 2010. In July 2011, prosecutors withdrew the death penalty with the claim that they thought life imprisonment without parole was going to be a likely sentence. A jury was seated in secret in late August 2011. The prosecutors added involuntary manslaughter to the charges. The trial ended on September 16, 2011. The jury only took 2 hours to convict them of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child and three counts of criminal conspiracy. Because this was no longer a death penalty case, the judge allowed them to be out on bail until their sentencing in November 2011. They were sentenced to time served which was  567 days. In December 2011, they tried to get their conviction overturned and their $100,000 in court fees waived in an attempt to regain custody of Nathaniel’s sister Dasha. The judge refused.

Multiple family members saw Nathaniel with a misshapen head and did not seek medical care for him.

(11) Adoptive parent Jessica Beagley aka The Hot Sauce Mom of Alaska sent in her “discipline” tape to the Dr Phil talk show and subsequently was charged with a city misdemeanor for placing her fully-clothed son in cold showers after putting hot sauce in his mouth. Her policeman husband, who was aware of the discipline, never was charged. Christopher Beagley also has a twin brother. Jessica had previously sought fame in a Russian interview  about adoption.

(12)Adoptive parent Torry Hansen put her 7-year-old son Justin on a plane to Russia by himself in April 2010. She was taken to court  by the adoption agency WACAP and NCFA and has to pay the adoption agency and child support for Justin who is in an SOS home even though the adoption was annulled in a court in Russia.

(13) In May 2012, adoptive parents Martin and Kathleen O’Brien of Wisconsin were each charged with abuse on 2 of their 4 Russian-adopted siblings aged 12 to 19 and one of the two other adopted children. They started adopting in 2004. They also have 4 biological children. Allegations include striking the children with objects in the chest and groin, starvation, choking, stabbing, pepper-spraying, locking them in rooms and stripping them naked for punishment. The abuse is said to have been going on for 8 years. Martin currently  has 6 felony and 6 misdemeanor counts against him.  Kathleen currently has 4 felony counts and 8 misdemeanor counts against her.As of November 21,2012,  the case is on hold.

 China

(1) Joseph Maoping Adams , 5,  died on December 3, 2011. Rick and Deah Adams of Kentucky are the adoptive parents.  His death was ruled a homicide by vinegar poisoning by the coroner.On September 26, 2012, the grand jury indicted Deah Adams on one count of reckless homicide, a class D felony with a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Rick Adams was not indicted. The next status hearing is January 11, 2013.

(2)Kairissa XingJing Mark  ,4, was adopted to Dr. Deborah Wen-Yee Mark and Steven Mark of Tennessee. Bethany did the homestudy. Her death on July 2, 2010 was due to blunt force head injury. She had only been in her adoptive home for 3 months. Deborah first lost her medical license and had a trial in December 2011. She was sentenced to life in prison for first degree homicide. In September 2012, Steven, a stay-at-home dad, pled guilty to 4 counts of the original 8 against him. He  will be eligible for parole after he serves 30 percent of his sentence, which is just over 10 years.

(3)Adoptee Adam Stein , 3, was adopted in November 2009 to North Carolina. Adoptive parent Michele Andi Stein was investigated for abuse in January 2010 and February 2010 before the March 2010 incident that ended in Michele’s arrest. Adam suffered a fractured skull and large bruises on the frontal region  of his brain and previously suffered second- and third-degree burns to his hands. In October 2011, she was sentenced to between six and eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty  to one count of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury.

(4)Adoptive parent Michael Snyder of California adopted 2 Chinese children in 2010. In March 2011, he was arrested. He is charged with molesting his 12-year-old daughter and another unrelated 9-year-old girl. There are no counts of abuse against his son. His trial is set for January 14, 2013.

Guatemala

(1) Enna Barreto  died on May 19, 2008 of blunt force head trauma by Marainna Torres, the biological daughter of the adoptive mother. Marainna pled guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison with 15 years suspended. She was released from jail on November 22, 2011. Enna’s adoptive parents Ramon and Janet have 10 felony charges against each of them. They skipped bail in 2008 and are still on the run. US Marshalls issued a press release just this week asking for tips as they have been seen in the US in 2012.Marainna identified New Beginnings, Inc. as the adoption agency.

(2)Adoptive parent Scott Dean and his wife adopted 5 girls from Guatemala. He was sentenced on Janaury 27, 2012 to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years probation after being convicted of two counts of sexual molestation.

(3) Christopher Saitta ,2, was adopted to New York where he died on August 12, 2009 of  “shaken baby syndrome.” Christopher had only been in his adoptive home for 6 months. His adoptive mother, Lois, initially claimed that he fell from the highchair. In May 2011, she pled guilty to manslaughter in the second degree in exchange for a 1-year prison sentence and 5 years probation. She could have received a 15-year sentence for criminally negligent homicide.

(4)David and Jan Carpenter, adoptive parents from Wisconsin, adopted an-almost-3-year-old girl in November 2008. After only 11 months, they were arrested for severe neglect after she lost 2 pounds of weight.The doctor indicated in a report, that the girl had “no subcutaneous tissue to speak of.” She suffered from severe malnutrition, according to the criminal complaint, as well as an unexplained subdural hematoma. They were found guilty in April 2011. Their sentence was shockingly low-14 days in jail with 5 years probation. They are not allowed to have contact with the girl or the other child removed from the home at the time of the neglect charge.

Ethiopia

(1) Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General Douglas Barbour and Kristen Barbour have been charged two counts of child endangerment against their 6-year-old son and 18-month-old daughter.  Douglas was charged with simple assault  against his son. They adopted the children in March 2012. The son had lost almost 10 pounds from March to October 2012, the time of their arrest. He had skin lesions and hypothermia. Each adoptive parent also received an aggravated assault charge against the daughter.  The daughter suffered multiple skull fractures, is partially blind, suffered a stroke and may be paralyzed. She had 5 healing fractures.Kristen blogged and sold adoption merchandise on Etsy.

Their bail was extremely low. They had to post 10% of a $25,000 bond.They are allowed supervised visits with their biological children, aged 2 and 4. The next hearing is January 18, 2013.

IAG  was the placing agency and Bethany was the homestudy agency.

(2) Hana Grace-Rose Williams was adopted to Washington in 2008 with an unrelated, deaf boy named Immanuel. AAI (Washington) is the agency involved. The Williams’ did not know sign language. They were homeschooled.

Hana died of hypothermia and was found naked in her backyard on May 12, 2011.The backs of her legs had marks consistent with being beaten earlier in the day. She had lost 30 pounds since she had been with the Williams. She was regularly spanked and locked in a closet, and was forced to sleep in a barn and take garden-hose showers outside, according to an affidavit.

Her parents Larry and Carri Williams have eight other children ranging from ages 7 to 17 . They have been charged with homicide by abuse. Former clients of AAI immediately went into AAI defense-mode and accused Hana of possibly killing herself on a radio show. This brought this story to a new low level. The violent punishment book of To Train Up a Child has also been suggested as where they received their punishment ideas.

Immanuel also was abused. There is a first-degree assault charge related to his starvation and abuse.

Carri’s bail was low at $150,000. She was out of jail on bail but contacted her biological child which landed her back in jail in April 2012. She was allowed to bond out again in May 2012. Larry’s bail has been $500,000 and he has remained in jail.

The trial was to begin on October 1, 2012 but was moved to February 4, 2013. The Williams are now arguing that Hana may have been at least 16 which would allow some charges to be dropped. They petitioned the court and have received permission to exhume her body so age tests can be performed. They pled not guilty to homicide by abuse  in November 2012.

(3)In September 2011 , Lon Kennard adoptive father to 6 Ethiopian children (2 boys and 4 girls) and Village of Hope Ethiopia orphanage founder,aged 70, pleaded guilty to three first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He was originally charged with 47 counts — including 24 counts of aggravated sexual  abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; 17 counts of sexual  exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; forcible sex abuse, a  second-degree felony; and witness tampering, a third-degree felony.

In exchange for his pleas, prosecutors agreed to drop all other charges. He was sentenced to  3 terms of five years to life in prison to be served consecutively.

Ethiopia and China

Sharon Leonard  of Missouri adopted 4 from AAI (Washington) Layla House and also was parenting children adopted from China.She homeschooled, bred dogs and had a nonprofit adoption ministry called Hearts of Hope that offered advice on international adoptions. She is  accused of putting children in calf huts.Originally the charges brought against her were felonies, but those were reduced to misdemeanors. She pled guilty to 1 count of Assault, 3rd degree  (Misdemeanor A )and was sentenced on  March 16, 2011 to 3 months jail and 2 years probation but she never served time in jail because her sentence was immediately suspended.

 Ukraine

(1)In October 2012, it was determined that adoptive parent Dr Martin MacNeill  will stand trial in the 2009 death of his wife Michele MacNeill who is believed to have been drugged before drowning in a bathtub. The MacNeill’s have 4 biological children and 4 daughters that they had adopted from Ukraine.He  served a  four-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting in aggravated identity theft of one of his Ukrainian daughters. He also abandoned her. He was released in July 2012 from that sentence.

A 5-week trial is scheduled starting on March 5, 2013 for the murder of his wife. He has pled not guilty to murder, a first-degree felony, and obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony. The motive has been alleged that he wanted his wife to have cosmetic surgery. Shortly after her death, he moved his longtime mistress, Gypsy Willis, into the house where she worked as the children’s nanny. [Seriously,we couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried!]

(2)Special needs adoptee Selah Clanton, 8, suffered near drowning shortly after being adopted. The Florida  family used Reece’s Rainbow. The family, who adopted two special needs children at once, were visiting a hospital in Rochester, New York for treatment for another one of their children. On August 15, 2012, the adoptive father lost control of the double stroller that had his special needs 8-year-old biological son and Selah in it. The stroller rolled down an embankment into the Erie Canal. The adoptive father saved his son and medical students who happened to be in the area were able to rescue Selah. Selah suffered a traumatic brain injury.

 Ukraine and Bulgaria

In October 2012, Reece’s Rainbow “middle contact”, paperwork arranger, adoptive parent and Iowa clerk  Brigitte Van Nice  was arrested for paperwork fraud in a same sex marriage case in which she took money and never filed papers. She faces two counts of forgery and one count of perjury and one count of tampering with records. She previously adopted a child from Ukraine using Reece’s Rainbow. Senator Harkin had featured her in a video on his website. She was in the midst of a two at once adoption from Bulgaria at the time of her arrest. She pled not guilty on November 26, 2012. An order setting  a trial was filed on the same day. The trial date is not yet listed in her court file.

Philippines

(1) Adoptee Gabriel Hall, 18, was adopted to Texas with three siblings into a megafamily with 20 children. In October 2011, Gabriel was arrested for capital murder after police say he confessed to killing a former Texas A&M Oceanography Professor and also stabbing his wife at their home during an alleged burglary on October 20, 2011. College Station Police say he admitted to shooting and stabbing Edwin Shaar and then stabbed his wheelchair-bound wife Linda. Gabriel, a straight-A student, indicated he had been planning a murder for six months and selected the Shaars as targets two months prior to the murder. Gabriel Hall’s adoptive father Wes is a founding member of the Central Texas Orphan Mission Alliance, CTOMA. Adoptive mother Karen Hall is the president of the organization. A hit list was found with her name on it. His adoptive parents will not be giving him any financial assistance for the trial.He had a pretrial hearing on December 17, 2012. Two other pretrial hearings are scheduled for January 24, 2013 and March 5, 2013. Four other hearings are scheduled through May 2013.

(2) Adoptive Twins from Philippines. Adopted by Sandra Weller when they were 2. Adoptive parents divorced. Sandra remarried and they moved from California to Washington where severe abuse and starvation of the twins and biological children of the second husband was finally revealed years later after the children had been homeschooled. See Jeffrey and Sandra Weller starvation abuse case  for details.

Taiwan

Benjamin Yhip was adopted to a doctor and nurse, Dr. James Yhip and Edelyn Yhip in California. Benjamin died on April 18, 2012 . Benjamin was hospitalized in November 2011, suffering from severe malnutrition. Then in January 2012, he suffered a broken leg after his father fell on him.  The boy also had fractures to his upper arms, hands and feet.

On April 18,2012 Edelyn Yhip called 911 and reported her son Benjamin was unresponsive.  He was stabilized at Enloe Medical Center and taken to Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento where he died the following day.  The investigation revealed he died from blunt force trauma to the head. They claim that an underlying medical condition was the reason for his demise.

Benjamin has a fraternal twin brother that was also adopted by the Yhips. Each adoptive parent has been charged with 1 count of Felony 187(a) MURDER and 1 count of Felony 273a(a) CHILD ABUSE. Both have bonded out. A trial date of February 25, 2013 has been set.

Ghana

Kinship adoptive parent Paul Lavoe of Wisconsin faces charges of human trafficking and abuse and neglect for beating his biological daughter and adoptive daughter with wires and electric cords.He was arrested in May 2012.

His wife, Amanda Lavoe, also faces charges of watching the abuse happen and benefiting from human trafficking.

The  adoptee is a cousin  from Ghana.  She said that she came to the United States for a better education. For her first few months here, she told investigator things were fine. But then the couple pulled her from high school and enrolled her in virtual school, along with the other teen.

They said they fall behind with school though because every weekday they are at the motorcycle shop taking care of the couple’s three younger children while the parents work.

The case is ongoing. A status conference is scheduled for December 21, 2012.

Haiti

Adoptive parents Jeffrey and Rebecca Trebilcock of Washington were arrested in May 2011 after a two month investigation ”on multiple counts of Criminal Treatment and Felony assault on their five adoptive children.” The four adopted girls were aged 8, 10, 11, and 12. Two are biological sisters.  Three of the girls were adopted from Haiti. The adopted boy is 13 years old. One girl and the boy were previously the Trebilcock’s foster children. They were all malnourished. The adoptive parents put an alarm in the kitchen to go off to prevent the children from being able to get to the food. They were punished if they “stole” food so they resorted to eating dog and goat food and dandelion leaves. The punishment for “stealing” food was to be hit with a wooden board. The adopted son reported the beatings were so bad that his butt bled to the point that he could feel blood running down his leg. They were were also put outside and doused with water and made to stand on the porch soaked. The 3 biological children were not malnourished.

The bench trial began in July 2012. The verdict: not guilty for abusing the Haitian adoptees yet guilty for abusing the boy and girl adopted from foster care. The couple were also barred during the criminal proceedings from having contact with the victims for 10 years. Rebecca Trebilcock was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison, and Jeffrey Trebilcock received a sentence of 5.5 years. The adopted children will remain in foster care. The adult biological brother of the foster- adopted children wants to adopt them but has only been granted supervised visits so far.

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