Russia investigators are searching for answers in the death of 3-year-old Maxim Shatto. Little Max — who was adopted by a Texas couple — was brought to the hospital where he died on January 21. While autopsy reports have yet to be released, officials suspect murder. Russian officials claim that Max’s death came at the hands of his adoptive mother.
According to reports, Max’s adopted mother believed that the preschooler had some psychiatric illness and put him on psychiatric drugs. She allegedly beat the boy, and,when he was brought to the hospital in late January, he was reportedly covered in bruises. It has yet to be confirmed that the bruises were from abuse.
The little boy’s death comes as Russia has banned all adoptions of their children to American citizens. The ban on adoptions has been reported as retaliation after the Obama administration passed the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act which imposes sanctions on Russian officials accused of human rights violations.
“I would like to draw your attention to yet another case of inhumane treatment of a Russian child adopted by American parents,” Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s human rights representative, said in a statement.
Texas authorities have confirmed that the 3-year-old was covered in bruises when he was brought to the hospital last month. He was later pronounced dead. He and his little brother, Kirill, were both adopted by the Shatto family from an orphanage in Pskov, a town in northwest Russia.
Chief investigator Shirley Standefer said there were signs of bruising on Max’s body including in the lower abdominal area. She could not, however, state whether the bruises appeared to be intentional or accidental.
With an investigation underway, the State Department has cautioned people not to jump to conclusions about the boy’s cause of death.
At least 19 of the 60,000 Russian children adopted by Americans in the last 2o years have died.
While the investigation into the boy’s death is underway, many are concerned about the well-being of 2-year-old Kirill, who is still in the Texas couple’s home.
Do you think that Max’s little brother should still be in the Shatto home after what allegedly happened to Max?
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