Child fatality in Intercountry adoption: What media reports suggest about deaths of Russian children in the U.S. Rebecca L. Hegar ⁎, Olga Verbovaya, Larry D. Watson School of Social Work, University of Texas at Arlington, Box 19129, Arlington, TX 76019-0129, USA abstract article info Article history: Received 2 January 2015 Received in revised form 30 May 2015 Accepted 3 June 2015 Available online 6 June 2015 Keywords: Adoption fatality International adoption Intercountry adoption Russian adoption This article addresses the ultimate risk in child placement, fatality, in the context of international adoption. It first reviews relevant literature, then profiles demographic and policy trends, followed by analysis of risk factors derived from public media reports related to the children, families, and placing agencies in 19 known cases of death of Russian children in U.S. adoptive homes since 1996. The article concludes that many of the child deaths involved recently placed boys, frequently age 3 or younger, most with special needs or challenging behaviors, and often placed along with siblings. Most of the children who died had multiple injuries characteristic of battered child syndrome. Parents were traditional couples under severe parenting stress who usually had other children, often including additional preschoolers and/or homeschoolers. Mothers frequently pled guilty to various charges, typically less serious than murder. In four situations, parents either were not charged or were found not guilty. Most placements involved agencies founded within 15 years before the child fatality, and several subsequently closed, three amid scandals unrelated to the deaths. The remaining agencies include well-regarded organizations, and five directors or representatives contributed their perspectives. This article identifies patterns and makes recommendations for practice, with the goal of reducing risk of harm to children placed internationally. © 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 1. Introduction Indignation over the deaths of children adopted from abroad has flared in the international press, but the fatalities have been slighted in the academic literature, with very few exceptions (e.g. Gunnar & Pollak, 2007; Miller, Chan, Reece, Tirella, & Pertman, 2007; Miller, Chan, Tirella, Reece, & Pertman, 2007). This article briefly reviews liter- ature concerning child fatality, with an emphasis on deaths due to mal- treatment, then profiles recent trends in international adoption, particularly involving Russia and the United States. It goes on to review extensive press and limited available professional accounts of the 19 cases of fatality of children from the Russian Federation placed in United States adoptive homes and involving legal proceedings, includ- ing 13 parental convictions since 1997. Major sections of the article examine U.S. and Russian systems for approving agencies to place children internationally and the circum- stances surrounding the fatalities, with the goal of discerning risk factors concerning children, parents, and agencies. After identifying patterns in the deaths, the article addresses how improved services might reduce risk of harm in intercountry placements, irrespective of the countries of origin or adoption. 2. Literature review 2.1. Incidence and prevalence of child death It is important to note that this article profiles the situations of any Russian children who died in U.S. adoptive placements under circum- stances that were investigated as possible crimes and resulted in a grand jury hearing or further legal action. Many, but not all, of the deaths led to the conviction of a parent or parents as perpetrators. Throughout the sections of this article that refer to the specific children who died, the authors are careful to avoid terms that suggest parental responsibility when that has not been established by the judicial pro- cess. However, with the goal of building understanding of the deaths where parents were found culpable, this review of the literature in- cludes sources that use a variety of terms, including filicide, child- abuse-related deaths, child murder, and similar language. Filicide, or the murder of a child by a parent, has always existed, and according to numerous reports, was a common phenomenon at various times in both Europe and the United States (Mikhel, 2007; Spinelli, 2004). The first recognized attempt to regulate child fatalities at the hands of parents dates to 1649 when the Russian czar Alexander Mikhailovich enacted laws that punished mothers who killed their chil- dren born out of wedlock more harshly than those who took the lives of their legitimate children (Koenen & Thompson, 2008; Mikhel, 2007; Spinelli, 2004). In colonial North America laws addressing murder of children by a mother were also very severe. As Spinelli (2004) notes, Children and Youth Services Review 55 (2015) 182–192 ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: rhegar@uta.edu (R.L. Hegar). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.06.002 0190-7409/© 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd. 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