Showing posts with label Adoptee deaths. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adoptee deaths. Show all posts
Suicide Attempts More Common Among Adopted Teens
By Suzanne Rostler
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adolescents who live with adoptive parents
may be more likely than their peers to attempt suicide, researchers report.
However, being part of a close-knit family appears to lower the risk of
suicide for all teens. And the majority of adopted teens are not suicidal,
according to findings published in the online edition of the August issue of
Pediatrics.
``The main message of this study is that communication, seeking common
ground, warmth, love and the sense of satisfaction the adolescent has with
the (family) relationship, even when angry or rebelling, is critically
important,'' Dr. Gail Slap, the study's lead author, told Reuters Health.
The study by researchers at the University of Cincinnati College of
Medicine in Ohio of more than 6,500 students in grades 7 through 12 found
that 7.6% of adopted adolescents had attempted suicide in the past year,
compared with about 3% of their peers. Adopted adolescents were also
more likely to have received psychological or emotional counseling--about
17% of adopted youth compared with 8% of non-adopted youth.
Adolescents who had tried to commit suicide were more likely to be
depressed, smoke cigarettes, engage in delinquent behavior, have a low
self-image and be female, the investigators found. There were no significant
differences between those who had attempted suicide and those who had
not in terms of age, race, parents' education and family income.
Mothers of teens who had tried to commit suicide were more likely to
describe their children as ``bad-tempered'' than were mothers of
adolescents who did not attempt suicide, the report indicates.
The study included students who were living with their adoptive or biological
mothers and had never been separated from the mother for more than 6
months. All mothers were in their first marriage, increasing the likelihood
that children lived in two-parent families and had not experienced divorce.
Overall, just over 3% of the students in the study were living with adoptive
mothers, the authors note.
Slap said that the study did not investigate why adoption may be a risk
factor for suicide.
SOURCE: Pediatrics 2001;108:e30.
http://www.adoptionhealing.com/Suicide.htmAdoption Suicide
32-year old man commits suicide in creswell home
This newspaper article relates when Harry and Bertha Holt's Korean-born adopted (Joseph Tae Holt) committed suicide in 1984.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19840619&id=X2sVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=keEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5586%2C4781019
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19840619&id=X2sVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=keEDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5586%2C4781019
Prison sentence for adoptive father
The father of an adopted three year old boy who died of blood poisoning and pneumonia was sentenced to six months in prison for grievous bodily harm by Jönköping's district court.
The three year old adoptee died on the 8th January having been with his new family in the Jönköping area for six months. He had a number of infected sores, which had led to necrosis. The parents never took him to see a doctor....
click here for article
The three year old adoptee died on the 8th January having been with his new family in the Jönköping area for six months. He had a number of infected sores, which had led to necrosis. The parents never took him to see a doctor....
click here for article
Mother Sentenced to 25 Years
Woman Had Admitted Killing Adopted Russian Daughter
By Theresa Vargas
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 26, 2006; Page B03
For the murder of her 2-year-old adopted Russian daughter, Peggy Sue Hilt will serve 25 years in jail, under a sentence imposed yesterday by a Prince William County judge.
"I think your conduct, at its core, is inexplicable, completely inexplicable," Circuit Court Judge William D. Hamblen said. "The child's death was not the product of a single act, a single blow. Her injuries were the result of a course of conduct over an extended period of time."
Hilt, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March after telling police that she punched, kicked and choked Nina Hilt at their Wake Forest, N.C., home during a rage in July. The child died a day later in Prince William, where the family was visiting friends....
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By Theresa Vargas
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 26, 2006; Page B03
For the murder of her 2-year-old adopted Russian daughter, Peggy Sue Hilt will serve 25 years in jail, under a sentence imposed yesterday by a Prince William County judge.
"I think your conduct, at its core, is inexplicable, completely inexplicable," Circuit Court Judge William D. Hamblen said. "The child's death was not the product of a single act, a single blow. Her injuries were the result of a course of conduct over an extended period of time."
Hilt, 34, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in March after telling police that she punched, kicked and choked Nina Hilt at their Wake Forest, N.C., home during a rage in July. The child died a day later in Prince William, where the family was visiting friends....
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US Mother Sentenced for Killing Adopted Russian Daughter
By VOA News
25 May 2006
An American woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her daughter, a two-year-old girl adopted from Russia.
Peggy Hilt admitted to kicking and beating her daughter, Nina Victoria, in July of last year. The child died the day after the attack....
click here for article
25 May 2006
An American woman has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for killing her daughter, a two-year-old girl adopted from Russia.
Peggy Hilt admitted to kicking and beating her daughter, Nina Victoria, in July of last year. The child died the day after the attack....
click here for article
Adoptive mother's case under review
Adoptive mother's case under review
Thursday, June 1, 2006
WOODBURY
A hearing at which Heather Lindorff could have her bail revoked has been
continued to give the judge and defense attorney more time to review the
case.
Lindorff will remain free pending the outcome of the hearing, which is
scheduled for Tuesday.
Lindorff continued to abuse four of her adopted Russian children even
though she lost custody of them following a 2003 conviction for her role
in the death of another one of her children, prosecutors alleged last
week....
click here for article
Thursday, June 1, 2006
WOODBURY
A hearing at which Heather Lindorff could have her bail revoked has been
continued to give the judge and defense attorney more time to review the
case.
Lindorff will remain free pending the outcome of the hearing, which is
scheduled for Tuesday.
Lindorff continued to abuse four of her adopted Russian children even
though she lost custody of them following a 2003 conviction for her role
in the death of another one of her children, prosecutors alleged last
week....
click here for article
Abuse, deaths, prompt Russian to adopt new rules
BY RUTHANN ROBINSON
Changes to the law will be too late to help little Luke Evans of Lowell.
Prosecutors say the 16-month-old Russian adoptee was shaken to death by his adoptive mother in November 2001.
Natalie Fabian Evans was charged with murder 13 months later but has yet to face a jury. Her trial is scheduled to begin June 19.
In response to news reports that more than 10 Russian children adopted by American parents have died by neglect or violence since 1991, Russian officials passed an amendment in May prohibiting foreign, independent adoptions through unlicensed agencies....
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Changes to the law will be too late to help little Luke Evans of Lowell.
Prosecutors say the 16-month-old Russian adoptee was shaken to death by his adoptive mother in November 2001.
Natalie Fabian Evans was charged with murder 13 months later but has yet to face a jury. Her trial is scheduled to begin June 19.
In response to news reports that more than 10 Russian children adopted by American parents have died by neglect or violence since 1991, Russian officials passed an amendment in May prohibiting foreign, independent adoptions through unlicensed agencies....
click here for article
Testimony heard in child's death trial
Testimony heard in child's death trial
Accused of abusing 2-year-old, mother faces murder charge
By Stephen Gurr
Staff Writer
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
The wails of a dying 21-month-old child brought several people to tears
Tuesday in Forsyth County Superior Court.
As a recording played in court of a 911 call made by Jill Ellen
Depaillat seeking treatment for her gravely injured daughter, Mia,
Depaillat cried at the defense table where she is on trial for a charge
of murder.
On the witness stand, the operator who took the call cried as nearly six
minutes of sustained crying by the child was played. In the jury box, at
least one juror cried. In the gallery, spectators wept.
The heart-wrenching sounds punctuated the first full day of testimony
Tuesday when prosecutors sought to prove that Depaillat killed her
adopted daughter in April 2004 during a fit of rage....
click here for article
Accused of abusing 2-year-old, mother faces murder charge
By Stephen Gurr
Staff Writer
------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -
The wails of a dying 21-month-old child brought several people to tears
Tuesday in Forsyth County Superior Court.
As a recording played in court of a 911 call made by Jill Ellen
Depaillat seeking treatment for her gravely injured daughter, Mia,
Depaillat cried at the defense table where she is on trial for a charge
of murder.
On the witness stand, the operator who took the call cried as nearly six
minutes of sustained crying by the child was played. In the jury box, at
least one juror cried. In the gallery, spectators wept.
The heart-wrenching sounds punctuated the first full day of testimony
Tuesday when prosecutors sought to prove that Depaillat killed her
adopted daughter in April 2004 during a fit of rage....
click here for article
Kitsap Woman Arrested In Death Of Adopted Boy
By Akiko Fujita
PORT ORCHARD, WASH. - A Kitsap County mother pled innocent to charges of homicide by abuse and manslaughter in the first degree Monday.
Kimberly Forder is accused of killing her 8-year-old son Christopher Michael four years ago and abusing her other children. Bail has been set at $1 million.
"As the investigation progressed, it became readily apparent that something was not normal about this child's demise," said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer. "Reasonable suspicions started to elevate in the investigated sense."
Detectives were first called to the Forders' home in Seabeck the night of Nov. 24, 2002. Inside, they found Forder's adopted son Christopher dead.
"I saw a lifeless young boy who had been battered," said Detective Lori Blackenship. "Appeared to be battered; bruises, multiple bruises throughout his body."
The Forders told detectives the bruises were the result of a disorder, though the two never sought medical help. An autopsy revealed Christopher died from pneumonia but the county coroner never determined the manner in which he died and kept the case open....
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PORT ORCHARD, WASH. - A Kitsap County mother pled innocent to charges of homicide by abuse and manslaughter in the first degree Monday.
Kimberly Forder is accused of killing her 8-year-old son Christopher Michael four years ago and abusing her other children. Bail has been set at $1 million.
"As the investigation progressed, it became readily apparent that something was not normal about this child's demise," said Kitsap County Sheriff Steve Boyer. "Reasonable suspicions started to elevate in the investigated sense."
Detectives were first called to the Forders' home in Seabeck the night of Nov. 24, 2002. Inside, they found Forder's adopted son Christopher dead.
"I saw a lifeless young boy who had been battered," said Detective Lori Blackenship. "Appeared to be battered; bruises, multiple bruises throughout his body."
The Forders told detectives the bruises were the result of a disorder, though the two never sought medical help. An autopsy revealed Christopher died from pneumonia but the county coroner never determined the manner in which he died and kept the case open....
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Suicidal behaviour in national and international adult adoptees
Suicidal behaviour in national and international adult adoptees
Authors: Von Borczyskowski, A ; Hjern, A ; Lindblad, F ; Vinnerljung, B
Affiliation: Natl Inst Psychosocial Med, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
Karolinska Inst, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Div Psychosocial Factors & Hlth,
Stockholm, Sweden
Hamburg Univ Appl Sci, Hamburg, Germany
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Ctr Epidemiol, Stockholm, Sweden
Huddinge Univ Hosp, Karolinska Inst, Dept Clin Sci, Stockholm, Sweden
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Inst Evidence Based Social Work Practice,
Stockholm, Sweden
Univ Stockholm, Dept Social Work, Stockholm, Sweden.
Source: Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology. Year 2006. Vol.
41, Issue 2, Pages 95-102
Year: 2006
Authors: Von Borczyskowski, A ; Hjern, A ; Lindblad, F ; Vinnerljung, B
Affiliation: Natl Inst Psychosocial Med, S-17177 Stockholm, Sweden
Karolinska Inst, Dept Publ Hlth Sci, Div Psychosocial Factors & Hlth,
Stockholm, Sweden
Hamburg Univ Appl Sci, Hamburg, Germany
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Ctr Epidemiol, Stockholm, Sweden
Huddinge Univ Hosp, Karolinska Inst, Dept Clin Sci, Stockholm, Sweden
Natl Board Hlth & Welf, Inst Evidence Based Social Work Practice,
Stockholm, Sweden
Univ Stockholm, Dept Social Work, Stockholm, Sweden.
Source: Social Psychiatry And Psychiatric Epidemiology. Year 2006. Vol.
41, Issue 2, Pages 95-102
Year: 2006
Pair admit causing adopted son's 2000 death
Hunterdon couple plead guilty to reckless manslaughter to avoid a retrial
Friday, April 13, 2007
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA, CLAIRE HEININGER AND JOE TYRRELL STAR-LEDGER STAFF
A Hunterdon County couple admitted for the first time yesterday that they caused the hypothermia death of their 7-year-old adopted Russian son more than six years ago.
Robert and Brenda Matthey stood before Superior Court Judge Roger Mahon in Flemington and pleaded guilty to one count each of second-degree reckless manslaughter in the death of Viktor Alexander Matthey.
The Mattheys are both serving 10-year prison terms after being convicted in May 2004 of child abuse for mistreating Viktor before his death....
for remaining article
July 12, 2005» Mattheys seek change of venue Robert and Brenda Matthey have asked that their retrial on manslaughter charges be moved out of Hunterdon County.
The VerdictMay 20, 2004» Mattheys convicted Robert and Brenda Matthey were convicted yesterday of abusing their 7-year-old adopted Russian son.
An emotional week leaves jury drained They started with a prayer; they ended with a split verdict.
Russians express sadness, satisfactionFrom half a world away, Russians react to the couple's conviction.
Quotes from the courtroom
Friday, April 13, 2007
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA, CLAIRE HEININGER AND JOE TYRRELL STAR-LEDGER STAFF
A Hunterdon County couple admitted for the first time yesterday that they caused the hypothermia death of their 7-year-old adopted Russian son more than six years ago.
Robert and Brenda Matthey stood before Superior Court Judge Roger Mahon in Flemington and pleaded guilty to one count each of second-degree reckless manslaughter in the death of Viktor Alexander Matthey.
The Mattheys are both serving 10-year prison terms after being convicted in May 2004 of child abuse for mistreating Viktor before his death....
for remaining article
July 12, 2005» Mattheys seek change of venue Robert and Brenda Matthey have asked that their retrial on manslaughter charges be moved out of Hunterdon County.
The VerdictMay 20, 2004» Mattheys convicted Robert and Brenda Matthey were convicted yesterday of abusing their 7-year-old adopted Russian son.
An emotional week leaves jury drained They started with a prayer; they ended with a split verdict.
Russians express sadness, satisfactionFrom half a world away, Russians react to the couple's conviction.
Quotes from the courtroom
Woman convicted of killing adopted daughter returned to U.S.
07/20/2005
Associated Press
An El Paso woman who fled to Mexico during the 2000 murder trial but was still convicted in the death of her adopted 21-month-old daughter has been returned to the United States, authorities said.
Mexican authorities returned Martha Yannette Melendez, 29, late Tuesday. She had been held in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, on a "provisional arrest warrant" since U.S. authorities found her in November....
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Associated Press
An El Paso woman who fled to Mexico during the 2000 murder trial but was still convicted in the death of her adopted 21-month-old daughter has been returned to the United States, authorities said.
Mexican authorities returned Martha Yannette Melendez, 29, late Tuesday. She had been held in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, on a "provisional arrest warrant" since U.S. authorities found her in November....
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Correction: Profiting from adoption could be punishable by law
20/ 07/ 2005
Peggy Sue Hilt has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her adopted Russian daughter. Hilt’s court hearing is scheduled for August
MOSCOW, July 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office intends to press criminal charges against intermediaries profiting from adoption, according to Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky.
Numerous law infractions have been discovered involving the adoption of Russian children after the prosecutor general’s investigation. According to Fridinsky, since the early nineties, the number of children adopted by Russians fell from 14,000 to 7,000 per year, while the number adopted by foreign nationals rose nearly seven times, from 1,400 to 9,000.
In the last five years in Russia, more than 1000 children have been killed, of which only one was killed by an adoptive parent.....
for remaining article
Peggy Sue Hilt has been charged with manslaughter in the death of her adopted Russian daughter. Hilt’s court hearing is scheduled for August
MOSCOW, July 19 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office intends to press criminal charges against intermediaries profiting from adoption, according to Deputy Prosecutor General Sergei Fridinsky.
Numerous law infractions have been discovered involving the adoption of Russian children after the prosecutor general’s investigation. According to Fridinsky, since the early nineties, the number of children adopted by Russians fell from 14,000 to 7,000 per year, while the number adopted by foreign nationals rose nearly seven times, from 1,400 to 9,000.
In the last five years in Russia, more than 1000 children have been killed, of which only one was killed by an adoptive parent.....
for remaining article
Parents Sentenced in Starvation Death of Boy
Release Date: April 17, 2008
PARENTS SENTNCED IN STARVATION DEATH OF BOY
The parents of Dennis Merryman, who was systematically abused and starved to death over four years, were sentenced for Child Abuse Resulting in a Death.
Samuel Merryman 40 and his wife Donna Merryman 45 were each sentenced by Judge Emory Plitt in Harford County to twenty-two years in the Diviion of Correction for causing the death of their adopted son. The Merrymans had plead guilty during the trial of the case.
The case was investiged by the Harford County Sheriff and prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorneys Diane Tobin and Lisa Marts. The judge in passing sentence said the message that should come out of this case is that courts will not tolerate the abuse of the most trusting, vulverable members of our society. The sentence exceeded the maximum suggested by the sentencing guidelines....
Dead boy's adoptive dad tries for parole
Dead boy's adoptive dad tries for parole
Thursday, December 06, 2007
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA
The Star-Ledger
She mopped floors, attended Bible study and completed self-help courses to seek her freedom after convictions for child abuse and manslaughter in the death of her young adopted son in Hunterdon County seven years ago. But the one thing Brenda Matthey didn't do was admit her part in 7-year-old Viktor's death, according to a state parole board decision that denied her release last month.
"Inmate accepts no responsibility, or remorse for crime," was hand-written on the panel's decision after an October hearing. It was the 42-year-old woman's last chance for release before her sentence reaches its maximum in 2009. Today, the parole board will determine whether her husband has been reformed. Robert Matthey, 44, is expected to appeal for his release from Southwood State Prison, where he is serving time for Viktor's death.
Today, the parole board will determine whether her husband has been reformed. Robert Matthey, 44, is expected to appeal for his release from Southwood State Prison, where he is serving time for Viktor's death.
"I hope that he gets released. I think that he's learned from his bad choices," said Matthey's mother, Phyllis Matthey-Johnson, who sided with prosecutors against the Mattheys.
The verdicts held the couple accountable for the end of Viktor's life, after he and his younger twin brothers were adopted by the Mattheys from a Russian orphanage in December 1999.
Viktor's life with the Mattheys was a nightmare, according to prosecutors, who accused the couple of locking the child in a basement pump room of their Union Township home as a form of punishment. He died of hypothermia 10 months after his adoption, according to the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office. The Mattheys accepted responsibility in Viktor's death under a plea deal and were given four-year prison terms on the manslaughter charges at their May sentencing. Their sentences ran concurrently with those on related 2004 child abuse convictions, which were dropped from 10 to seven years.
For the remaining article: http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-
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Parents on trial for adopted son's death
Published: 27 Feb 06 18:42 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.se/3153/
The adoptive parents of a three year old boy who died after untreated wounds led to blood poisoning appeared before Jönköping district court on Monday accused of manslaughter.
In the mass of research material presented to the court were horrific pictures of the boy's injuries. When his mother eventually called an ambulance to their residence in the Jönköping area, the boy showed no signs of life."It's clear that the boy must have been in enormous pain," said prosecutor Stefan Edwardson.
For the rest of the article: http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3153&date=20060227
Thursday, December 06, 2007
BY RALPH R. ORTEGA
The Star-Ledger
She mopped floors, attended Bible study and completed self-help courses to seek her freedom after convictions for child abuse and manslaughter in the death of her young adopted son in Hunterdon County seven years ago. But the one thing Brenda Matthey didn't do was admit her part in 7-year-old Viktor's death, according to a state parole board decision that denied her release last month.
"Inmate accepts no responsibility, or remorse for crime," was hand-written on the panel's decision after an October hearing. It was the 42-year-old woman's last chance for release before her sentence reaches its maximum in 2009. Today, the parole board will determine whether her husband has been reformed. Robert Matthey, 44, is expected to appeal for his release from Southwood State Prison, where he is serving time for Viktor's death.
Today, the parole board will determine whether her husband has been reformed. Robert Matthey, 44, is expected to appeal for his release from Southwood State Prison, where he is serving time for Viktor's death.
"I hope that he gets released. I think that he's learned from his bad choices," said Matthey's mother, Phyllis Matthey-Johnson, who sided with prosecutors against the Mattheys.
The verdicts held the couple accountable for the end of Viktor's life, after he and his younger twin brothers were adopted by the Mattheys from a Russian orphanage in December 1999.
Viktor's life with the Mattheys was a nightmare, according to prosecutors, who accused the couple of locking the child in a basement pump room of their Union Township home as a form of punishment. He died of hypothermia 10 months after his adoption, according to the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office. The Mattheys accepted responsibility in Viktor's death under a plea deal and were given four-year prison terms on the manslaughter charges at their May sentencing. Their sentences ran concurrently with those on related 2004 child abuse convictions, which were dropped from 10 to seven years.
For the remaining article: http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-
***************************************
Parents on trial for adopted son's death
Published: 27 Feb 06 18:42 CETOnline: http://www.thelocal.se/3153/
The adoptive parents of a three year old boy who died after untreated wounds led to blood poisoning appeared before Jönköping district court on Monday accused of manslaughter.
In the mass of research material presented to the court were horrific pictures of the boy's injuries. When his mother eventually called an ambulance to their residence in the Jönköping area, the boy showed no signs of life."It's clear that the boy must have been in enormous pain," said prosecutor Stefan Edwardson.
For the rest of the article: http://www.thelocal.se/article.php?ID=3153&date=20060227
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