MOSCOW, April 4 (Itar-Tass) – Experts of Russia’s Investigations Committee will study copies of documents received from the United States to establish the cause of death of a three-year-old Russian boy, Maxim Kuzmin, who died in an American foster family, the committee’s spokesman, Vladimir Markin, told Itar-Tass on Thursday.
“Thanks to the efforts of the Russian Foreign Ministry, investigators have received copies of materials related to the investigation into the child’s death in the United States (police reports, expert opinions, an autopsy protocol, and other documents),” Markin said.
According to the spokesman, these documents are now being translated into Russian. As soon as it is done, a forensic study will be carried out to find out how the injuries were done and to establish the cause of death.
The Investigations Committee, in his words, continues its probe into this criminal case, despite the fact that the United States’ relevant authorities have closed the case saying it was an accident. No charges have been brought against Maxim Kuzmin’s foster parents.
Maxim Kuzmin, 3, who was given the name Max Alan after the adoption, and his younger brother Kirill (Kristopher Elvin) were adopted from a children’s home in the town of Pechory, Pskov region, by Alan and Laura Shatto, who live in Gardendale, Texas. in late 2012. A court decision on their adoption was passed in October 2012, and in late December - early January the children were brought to the United States. The boy died on January 21, less than two weeks after his third birthday. Postmortem examination revealed numerous injuries.
However, U.S. forensic experts said the boy’s death was accidental. The official cause of death was mesenterial intestine arteriorrhexis after a blunt force trauma. In March, the U.S. prosecutors decided not to bring any charges against the boy’s adoptive parents due to the insufficiency of evidence.
Appearing at the Russian State Duma lower parliament house on March 22, Russian Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika cited information received from the American side that no charges have been ultimately brought against Maxim’s foster parents. “The American side said that in case addition evidence appears in the case, a new decision may be passed by the jury. Local child protection authorities in the United States continue an independent investigation of the boy’s death,” he then said.