Court documents tell of abuse in death of boy, 8
4 years later, adoptive mother
charged in Port Orchard case
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORT ORCHARD -- Four years ago,
8-year-old Christopher Forder lay on his bedroom floor, stricken
with pneumonia, heavily bruised and nearing death.
His adoptive father called a family
meeting and told the family's seven other children they had a
choice: They could bury their brother in the backyard, or call 911
and risk having all the children taken away because of Christopher's
obvious bruising.
Later that night, Nov. 24, 2002,
Forder and his wife, Kimberly Ann Forder, tried unsuccessfully to
revive Christopher with CPR. A son called 911.
An account of the 8-year-old's last
moments is contained in court documents, which allege that his
mother abused and neglected him to the point of death, never seeking
outside medical help.
The night he died, Detective Lori
Blankenship walked into his bedroom to find the bruised and battered
little boy lying on the floor, partly covered with a blanket.
"It appeared to be a case of
abuse," she said. "This is a case that has stuck with me all these
years."
Dr. Emanuel Lacsina, the Kitsap
County Coroner's Office pathologist, determined that Christopher
died of severe pneumonia. He noted the extensive bruising. Manner of
death was listed as "undetermined."
The Forders say Christopher's
bruises were caused by reactive detachment disorder, which caused
him to scratch and pick at his skin and hurl himself into walls.
Blankenship said the family
consulted a doctor who said the disorder was a possibility, but it
was never diagnosed.
Kitsap County authorities were
suspicious about Christopher's death, but for nearly four years the
investigation went nowhere. This month, family members came forward.
Forder, recently returned to the
U.S. from Africa, was arrested Saturday. She's in the Kitsap County
Jail, held on $1 million bail following her not-guilty plea Monday
to charges of homicide by abuse and first-degree manslaughter.
Robert and seven adopted children
remain in Liberia, acting as Christian missionaries independent of
an established church or aid organization.
When they lived in Seabeck,
Kimberly was a stay-at-home mom and Robert a journeyman painter. The
Forders so far have adopted eight children, including Christopher,
and have three now-grown biological children.
This summer, authorities began
investigating one of the couple's biological children. Michael V.
Forder, 23, is also in Kitsap County Jail, charged with
second-degree rape of an adult family member. Detectives learned the
parents had moved to Africa.
Shortly thereafter, police received
a report from Children Protective Services in Oregon outlining abuse
that occurred before Christopher's death. Court records describe
subsequent conversations with three Forder children who described a
pattern of abuse, especially toward Christopher. One child said
Christopher was beaten an average of six times a day.
If he didn't chew his food
correctly, his mother would take it away, sometimes for days,
documents allege. The boy resorted to stealing scraps from a compost
heap, and eating dog food.
If the boy soiled himself, he was
forced to wear the dirty diaper, sometimes on his head. If he didn't
wash his clothes correctly in a 5-gallon bucket, his parents dunked
his head in the dirty water until he stopped struggling, court
documents said.
Christopher was with the Forder
family for four years after his adoption.
Michael Forder told detectives his
parents started treating the other adopted children better after
Christopher's death.
Those dark days are a world away
from the cheerful, healthy family pictured on the Forders' Internet
Web log. Many of the posts document the months before their July 11
departure to serve as missionaries in Liberia, where they moved with
seven adopted children.
"We hope to have a home, with a
farm for children, and a school with a small medical clinic," they
wrote.
When Kimberly returned to Oregon
earlier this month for medical treatment, sheriff's detectives went
down to meet her. She voluntarily returned to Kitsap County, where
she was booked into jail on Saturday.
The state Department of Social and
Health Services confirms the couple had a state foster care license
from 1997 to 2002. The state placed one child with the Forders in
1997.
In September 1998, DSHS approved
placement of Christopher with the Forders at the request of Oregon
officials who'd had custody of the boy.
Washington provided courtesy
supervision until June 1999, said DSHS spokeswoman Kathy Spears --
when Christopher's adoption apparently was certified.
The Forders let their foster-care
license lapse in 2002, suggesting they had adopted their first
foster child as well.
"As far as we can tell, DSHS was
not involved with the placement of those remaining children," agency
spokesman Steve Williams said.
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