In My Own Backyard
It seems like Kansas is a hotbed of scandal these past few days. I've been taking in the story as it unfolds and it's really, just a crazy, crazy case. According to reports an adoptive family, Doug and Valerie Herrman, were very active foster parents until they adopted Adam and his 2 younger siblings. This is where it gets unsettling. Someone tipped off authorities about a month ago that Adam Herrman had not been seen since he was 11 or 12 years old and that was 9 years ago.
It seems that the adoptive family told their close relatives that the child was placed back into state's custody due to his difficult behaviors. According to reports, everyone believed the adoptive parent's story and now biological relatives of the adoptive family are coming forward and sharing stories of past abuse they witnessed that occurred at the hands of the adoptive mother. Even the Herrman's biological son, Justin, is reporting acts of abuse that he witnessed in his family towards Adam.
Now the adoptive parents are telling authorities that Adam ran away in the summer of 1999. Their lawyer reports that they feel very guilty for not reporting him missing. They assumed he was homeless or living with biological family and "OK."
But the family has continued to claim Adam on their taxes and I believe they have continued to draw adoption subsidy, but I'm not clear on that last point. But it has been reported that Adam was mentioned on a bankruptcy petition and their divorce case.
The child may have had difficult behaviors and someone snapped and he got hurt. Perhaps he did run away. I personally think something a bit more on the dark side happened to him, but only because of the things I've seen and heard in other cases. But there are people who are freaking out about the adoption screening process and the checks on children following an adoption. Let's not make this a complete adoption issue. Let's not forget about the little girl in Florida who's mother neglected to report as "missing" and that was a biological child.
The sad truth is that bad things happen to children. Unfortunately it's just the world we live in.
Everyone wants to know - what happened to Adam Herrman? He was born June 8, 1987, in Wichita and would now be 21. His birth name was Irvin Groeninger III. The case has gone national as everyone is hoping to find him alive. There is a new age enhanced photo of what Adam may look like today. Please contact authorities if you believe you have seen this person or have a tip regarding the case. However, Butler County Sheriff Craig Murphy is treating this case as a death, but still holds out hope that he is still alive.
SOURCES:
Age-enhanced image of missing Butler County boy issued - The Wichita Eagle
Relatives say missing Butler County boy was abused - The Wichita Eagle
Long-missing boy is subject of search
- KansasCity.com
First, thank you for posting this article . Like you pointed out, let’s not turn this into an “adoptive” issue , which is what everyone usually ends up doing in cases that are undesirable, they try to find someone or something to blame, and it is usually a way to escape any responsibility on their or the general societies part. Nobody wants to get their hands dirty, or step up and say something , because they don’t want to be expected to be part of a solution, which in turn will make them have an inconvience of any sort . That’s why bad things continue to happen , and get worse . I feel sorry for this family, because they have all been victims of a LIE, either willingly or unwillingly , and the missing boy is no longer the only one hurt or harmed . Chances are the adoptive mother is in some form a socio-path , and how can the screening of potential foster parents and adoptive parents clearly “screen” this person out, when chances are there are no medical or criminal trails or records to follow ? When society allows socio-path parents to raise their own children without batting an eye, how can they protect other kids from falling victim to these people ? How can a system spot a “Con” of this level ? This is a bigger issue that most of the time we don’t know how to deal with, until the crap hits the fan, and then in search of a quick fix and answers, the real reason gets pushed back even further, because we can’t understand and come to terms, with the fact that some people (socio-paths) have no conscience ? How can we come up with a solution to a problem that can’t be fixed by us ? The only thing is to educate to prevent future victims, but when nobody wants to hear or know the truth, where does that leave us ?