Ohio police arrest parents for killing adopted child from malnourishment in 2016

United States: Two parents from Ohio have been indicted on 26 total charges, including murder as well as endangering children, in connection with the 2016 death of one of their five children. 

John Snyder II, 51, and Katherine Snyder, 51, are charged for purposely killing their adopted child, 8-year-old Adam Snyder, around October 5, 2016, according to court documents from the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas.

Along with this, the abuse allegedly took place when the couple lived on Conrad Drive in Springfield township. They now live in New York, which is where they were apprehended. 

Adam died at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as a result of blunt-force trauma to the head, according to Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Amy Clausing and court documents.

The court records of 2019 highlighted, “Adam’s death occurred within 24 hours of his prior release from Cincinnati Hospital of children, where he 

had spent the majority of the day on October 4, 2016.”

The boy, 8, who the Snyders adopted from China, suffered the trauma the Hamilton Coroner’s Office mentioned in the statement was the cause of death on September 1, 2016. 

More than five months after Adam died, Dr Gretel Stephens issued a death record that” widespread acute bronchopneumonia” was a contributing factor in his death, as per the records. 

Moreover, Dr Stephens determined the manner of the death was a homicide. 

In 2019 as well as 2020, John and Katherine filed motions in civil court to overturn Adam’s manner of death. 

Furthermore, the court records from the civil court hearings state that “numerous experts” retained by John and Katherine reviewed the medical records as well as the coroner’s report.