How Could You? Hall of Shame-Adam Stein case

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 Apex, North Carolina, international adoptive parent Michele Andi Stein, 40, “was sentenced to between six and eight years in prison after she pleaded guilty to one count of felony child abuse inflicting serious injury” on her then-3-year-old son, Adam. She and her husband adopted him from China in November 2009. They were investigated for abuse in January 2010 and February 2010 before the March 2010 incident that ended in Michele’s arrest.

“Apex investigators accused Stein of assaulting her son, Adam, so severely on March 19 [2010] that he was in a coma at Duke University Hospital.

The child suffered a fractured skull and large bruises on the frontal region of his brain, police reported.”

“Police began investigating the Steins when a Duke physician reported that the child’s head trauma was inconsistent with his parents’ account of how he was injured, court records show. Stein told medical workers that the child had fallen down stairs while her husband was at work.

Before the March incident, Adam had been admitted to the UNC-Chapel Hill Burn Center in January with second- and third-degree burns to both hands.

The boy was removed from the home and is now living at a residential treatment facility, Shekita said.”

Apex Woman Bound for Prison
[News Observer 10/14/11 by Thomasi McDonald]

2010 Stories

On April 9, 2010 “Michele Andi Stein, 39, of 121 Homegate Circle was released from the Wake County jail Friday on $100,000 bail.”

Apex mother posts bail
[News Observer 4/12/10]

“Stein told medical workers that the child had fallen down stairs on March 19 while her husband was at work. She said she thought he was okay and put him down for a nap.

Records also show Wake County Child Protective Services has previously investigated abuse and neglect reports concerning the child.

Adam had been admitted to the UNC-Chapel Hill Burn Center in January with second- and third-degree burns to both hands.

Michele Stein told authorities that she had turned on hot water in the bathtub to give Adam a bath and had left him briefly unattended while she went to get him clean pajamas. Investigators with the county’s child protective services suspected abuse, but determined the incident to be more consistent with “poor supervision and neglect,” police reported.

In February, workers at the day care Adam attends noticed bruises on his back and leg. They also noticed that the child had lost weight since enrolling.”
Mother of 3-year-old faces felony child-abuse charge
[The Cary News 4/21/10 by Thomasi McDonald]

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