Adoptive mother pleads innocent in boy's death
08/29/2006
Associated Press
An adoptive mother pleaded innocent
Monday to charges of homicide by abuse and first-degree manslaughter
in the 2002 death of her 8-year-old son.
Kimberly A. Forder, 44, charged in
Kitsap County Superior Court, was jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
'
"A young boy died at the hands whom
society had entrusted with his care," Kitsap County Sheriff Steve
Boyer told reporters." It went beyond abuse. It was torture."
Forder's adopted son, Christopher
M. Forder, died of pneumonia after repeated abuse, Boyer said.
The family reportedly had five
adopted children in addition to three biological children at the
time of Christopher's death.
The sheriff's office had been
working on the case for nearly four years and had a breakthrough
recently, Boyer said. In July, the sheriff's office learned that the
parents and seven adopted children had recently been living in the
African nation of Liberia, The Kitsap Sun reported.
On Aug. 9, the sheriff's office
received a referral report from child protective services in Oregon,
in which the couple's eldest biological daughter came forward with
information about Christopher's death.
According to court documents,
prosecutors now allege the boy spent days outside or in the basement
as punishment, without food, water or blankets. He was forced to
clean his soiled clothing in a bucket. He also was reportedly beaten
with a stick or belt.
Last week the sheriff's office
learned that Kimberly Forder was returning to the U.S. from Africa
for medical treatment. They contacted her in Medford, Ore., and she
agreed to return to Kitsap County.
When she arrived Saturday, she was
booked into jail.
Spokesman Steve Williams at the
state Department of Social and Health Services said the couple had a
state foster care license from 1997 to 2002. The state placed one
child with the Forders in 1997, he said.
"Later, DSHS approved placement of
Christopher with the Forders at the request of another state that
had custody of him," Williams said. "We provided courtesy
supervision until the adoption was finalized."
He said he did not know when
Christopher went to live with the Forders or when the adoption was
finalized. He also said he did not know which state sent Christopher
to Washington.
"As far as we can tell, DSHS was
not involved with the placement of those remaining children," he
said.
The Forders let their foster care
license lapse in 2002, Williams said.
