Charles Gerth sat in his seat, headphones pressed to his ears, as the airplane carried him to his homeland.
The woman who had been his mother for the past six years was in a state of fear. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. Does Charles know what he's doing? Is he aware of what he will be giving up?
Two people were on their way to Uganda, but only one was going back to the US. As people healed, the bonds of one family would be broken.
When the Gerths adopted Charles from a Texas-based agency in 2015, she didn't think it would end this way. There were allegations of fraud surrounding her son's adoption. His mom would want him to stay. It would be like Charles had been taken.
The family had gone through a lot to get here.
Charles told USA TODAY in 2020 that his heart was broken inside. To be with my family is what I like to do. I want to see my siblings. My dream is that.
The State Department, the FBI, her congresswoman and adoption officials were all contacted by Gerth, but she said she wouldn't be able to make Charles' dream a reality.
It came to this.
After volunteering at an orphanage, the Gerths became interested in adopting.
Children were being fed and housed, but they weren't doing well. They were still alive.
Estimates vary widely of how many children live in orphanages and other institutions. A majority of them have at least one living parent. They often have poor families and institutions give them access to food, shelter and education.
Intercountry adoption is possible for a fraction of the children. If it isn't possible to have children grow up with their parents or relatives in their own country, they should be placed with a permanent family in their own country. Adoptions by foreigners may be considered when options are unavailable.
According to data compiled by Peter Selman, nearly half of the international children adopted by American families are American. Over the past two decades, the number of intercountry adoptions has fallen from 45,500 in 2004 to 6,500 in 2019.
Adoptions from countries like Russia and China have been suspended or reduced due to stricter regulations.
The Gerths were interested in helping a child. Richard Gerth was too old to adopt in Haiti because there were too many waiting children. Uganda was seen as a safe bet despite allegations of corruption in Ethiopia. They thought so.
Little Miracles International, an agency based in Amarillo, Texas, promised to be with you and assist you and cry with you and laugh with you when you are adopted from Uganda.
The agency introduced them to Charles. He was tiny when they met him at the children's home.
Charles was 7 years old when he was adopted, and his mother could not be found, according to USA TODAY's report. The adoption was approved by his father.
Charles didn't know what was happening. He later said that he thought they were taking him.
He said officials in Luganda told him to be quiet.
Charles was brought to the United States by the Gerths. He was adopted 412 months later.
Charles used to treat life in the U.S. like a vacation. He was fond of Legos, trains and anything else his brother was into. He liked to draw and ride his bike.
Charles was a big fan of food. After getting off the bus, he vanished, only to be found in the cafeteria with some extra food. He was having a hard time at school. He couldn't sit still and follow directions.
Gerth said that Charles was angry and defiant from the start. The family signed up for individual and family therapy to help him adjust, as well as taking classes to support children who had experienced trauma. Charles was moved to an elementary school that would accommodate his needs.
The death of Richard Gerth was sudden. Charles had been traumatised by that loss. He said that he had been abused in the orphanage.
According to court records and documents provided by the family, the family's doctor recommended a bone age study and X-ray after noticing Charles' listed age didn't match his body's development. The family had been led to believe that Charles was four years older than he actually was.
He was a teen, not a young one.
Charles said it was hard to understand.
Education records show that he was moved from third grade to seventh grade at an alternative school. The transition wasn't easy. He struggled with language and comprehension even though he was used to being with younger kids.
Charles was placed in a boarding school in Uganda that incorporated learning with music. Charles' father initially agreed to house him during school breaks, according to her. Gerth flew with Charles to Uganda in the last quarter of the year.
Gerth was warned by the U.S. government that it would report her to child welfare officials in Florida if she didn't bring Charles home with her.
They came back to the US.
Charles talked a lot about his mother. Gerth hired a private investigator in Uganda to look for the woman on Charles' birth certificate.
When the investigator found his mother, she said she didn't want Charles to be adopted. Buringi could not be reached for comment. Gerth said they found out that Charles' biological father lied before the adoption when he said he didn't know how to locate Buringi.
Charles was Gerth's son, but his mother wanted him back as well.
Charles doesn't belong here. This is not my place of residence.
Gerth said his attitude deteriorated. He destroyed a pair of shoes in order to get new ones. People were tricked into donating clothes to him.
Gerth said that Charles was mocking her when she tried to reprimanded him.
She put locks on everyone's bedroom doors and a camera in Charles' room to keep an eye on him after several instances of Gerth waking up and touching her chest. Gerth never locked him in his room, but she wanted to make sure she and everyone else in the house felt safe.
Gerth said there was no peace. eggshells were used because you didn't know what he would do.
Gerth was guilty about adopting Charles. She said she and her late husband were not interested in adoption.
Gerth said he needed to fix the error that was not known. I can't blame him because he's not happy here.
Gerth and Charles were grieving over the same thing. During an emotional interview with USA TODAY, Charles cried silently, staring at his lap, as his adoptive mother described how they tried to correct the situation. Gerth rubbed her son's shoulder as she fought back tears.
She promised Charles that she would do everything she could to get him back to his mother.
Gerth wondered how many other people were doing the same things.
According to a recent survey by the National Council for Adoption, the majority of people who adopted internationally said it was rewarding. Adoption articles were very positive, showing the joy of children and families. She didn't own them but they were beautiful.
Some of Charles' family and friends were against him staying in the U.S.
She didn't feel like she was part of a group.
Some people don't know how many international adoptions break down. Between 2008 and 2020 at least 66,000 children from all types of adoptions ended up in the foster care system. The child's disability or behavioral problem, the parents' abandonment or relinquishment of the child, or the family's general inability to cope were reported as reasons for more than half of the adoptees.
Federal law requires states to collect and report information about intercountry adoptees, but the data is spotty.
International adoption agencies are required by federal regulation to report disrupted adoptions among their clientele, but that is limited to what agencies are made aware of. The executive director of an adoption agency asked the federal government if they should report any time they hear of a family in crisis or if they mention disrupting or dissolving an adoption.
The director wrote that many of the calls end in a dissolution.
Problems that are outside the government's purview obscure the full scope of adoption failures. Some children are placed into residential facilities and informally move in with other families, returning to their birth country or becoming homeless. Some people are re-adopted.
A review of profiles by Wasatch International Adoptions shows that at least 130 children have been listed as available for private re-adoption in recent years.
The agency was looking for a new family for an 11-year-old boy who was adopted from the Democratic Republic of Congo and likes Legos and cooking. His adoptive parents said he was just a visitor in their home and hadn't befriended them.
A post highlighted an active 10-year-old who is grieving the death of his adoptive father. According to his profile, the family has been struggling through grief. A strong male influence in the boy's life would help him connect with his adoptive mother.
A third person said that a 6-year-old girl loves playing on the swings, listening to music and putting her hands under the sink. The family traveled internationally to adopt the little girl, but they did not know how much she needed.
When Yeshi was in the US, her adoptive parents told her to pack up her clothes so they could take her to a shelter. She was not old enough to vote.
She told USA TODAY that her first years in the U.S. were difficult as she tried to get used to a new culture. It was difficult for the teen to make friends and communicate. She said her English skills were a three on a scale of one to 10. She didn't have a way to express her feelings.
She said the pain of her first adoption is still there. She thinks the government should visit children in foster care after they are brought to the U.S.
I'm not the only one. Like me, there are other people behind the door. "No one has heard their voice."
Gerth spent two years trying to get Charles back with his family in Uganda.
She worked through the system. She filed paperwork to update his passport after going to court to correct his birthdate. She reached out to the attorneys. She sent money to support the family after keeping in touch with Buringi.
Gerth contacted the State Department in order to get Charles back to Uganda. Intercountry adoptions are handled by the federal agency.
She was angry with the way the adoption had been handled. She thought she'd been lied to about Charles' age, abuse history and his mother.
Gerth said she filed a complaint with the Intercountry Adoption accreditation and maintenance entity.
The State Department said that Little Miracles was suspended for failing to maintain substantial compliance with accreditation standards.
The suspension was due to the agency's failure to comply with applicable home study requirements and failure to conduct adoption services ethically and in the best interest. The suspension was not related to Gerth's complaint.
Little Miracles gave up its accreditation in two months. The agency said it only provides humanitarian aid.
Court records show that Gerth brought legal action against Little Miracles. The agency settled for a lot of money.
Attorney Russ Schell, who represented Little Miracles in the lawsuit, said his experience with adoption is that some adoptive families may have a "sub-optimal" fit.
Some parents who are motivated by guilt and externalizing try to damage the salutary purposes of a well- functioning adoption system.
Gerth contacted the FBI after learning that it was investigating a Ugandan attorney involved in Charles' adoption. She said no one replied.
Mirembe and two other women are accused of operating a crooked adoption scheme. The women were accused of paying bribes and taking children from Uganda and Poland without knowing if they were orphans.
Federal court records show that Mirembe and one of the other women were charged with felonies. The third woman was accused of conspiring to defraud the United States.
According to the news release, the defendants sought to profit from their alleged criminal activity at the expense of families and vulnerable children.
Daniel Ball is a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in northern Ohio.
The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Mirembe, her husband and two judges in Uganda because of her law firm's manipulation of families in remote villages to give up their children for adoption.
The families thought their children were being looked after by missionaries while in Uganda. The children were offered for adoption in the U.S.
According to court records, Mirembe and European Adoption Consultants helped to facilitate the adoptions of more than 30 children over the course of three years. The adoptive parents came to believe that the birth mothers had not knowingly given their children up for adoption when they returned some children to Uganda.
Gerth was trying to get the U.S. government to help return Charles to his mother.
In August 2020, she wrote Eye, the senior adviser for the State Department's Office of Children's Issues, asking if anyone from the department would help her and her husband return their children to their birth parents.
She and Eye talked on the phone and exchanged emails.
She tried to get in touch with a person at the accreditation entity. Gerth wants to speak to the department as to his intent to reverse the wrongful adoption.
She claimed that the government treated her badly.
Gerth thought he was a bother. I was making them feel bad. It's your situation right now. I am so sorry that you were deceived.
The State Department wouldn't interview officials about Charles' case.
The agency considers several factors when deciding whether to approve a child's return to their home country. The return must be approved by the child's country of residence.
In an email to USA TODAY, Bernier-Toth said that these requests are very rare.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, Committee on Enforced Disappearances and other experts said last September that countries have a duty to prevent and remedy illegal adoptions.
Barry and Tammy Martin's lives were ruined when one of the boys they adopted from China raped their younger brothers.
The Martins filed complaints in court and with the U.S. government. They didn't know the background of two of the boys they adopted.
State Department records show that the adoption agency was ordered to stop operations in China by the accreditation entity. The agency is doing well today.
According to Tammy Martin, her complaints led to an investigation into abuse and trafficking in their son's orphanage. The officials told her that they couldn't take her son back to China because he is a U.S. citizen, but that Chinese authorities would help him if he wanted to come back.
After pleading guilty to battery, the teen was sent to a residential treatment facility for sex offenders and then to a group home.
The Martins moved out of the home where their sons were abused. They tried to convince their sons that they wouldn't be hurt again. One of the boys has talked about taking his own life. Tammy Martin said they have trouble finding resources for him.
The strain took its toll on the Martins' marriage. They parted ways in 2021.
The effects of the oldest boy's adoption broke Tammy Martin in every way. She has worked to bring light to the situation and prevent it from happening to other people.
Tammy Martin said that what happened to her family is going to happen to other families. Good people have their lives destroyed.
David and Desiree wondered if their situation was an exception in international adoptions. Two preteen girls from India were adopted by a couple in 1998 but their biological parents didn't approve.
David Smolin said neither the adoption agency nor the U.S. or Indian governments would investigate or help the girls, so they worked with an Indian activist who was able to connect them with their family.
In some developing countries, there is a pattern of international adoption beginning, money flowing in, bad practices leading to scandals and a moratorium. Adoptions sometimes start up again.
The process has played out in a number of places. The Gerths adopted Charles.
He said the government needs to hold U.S. agencies accountable for their actions in other countries. Money in international adoptions must be curbed.
Susan Jacobs worked in various roles for the State Department for 43 years. The minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo wore a $10,000 suit and a $10,000 watch as he offered visitors bottles of champagne.
She said agencies should be aware of a country's culture and customs. She said that sometimes it's about asking the right questions. When workers in Haiti asked for new cars, it turned out they needed gas.
Jacobs said that a quality home study, confirmation that a child is available for adoption and an investigation are needed at the beginning of the adoption process.
Some children have been returned to their families. It is very difficult. I think it's done once it's done.
Gerth and Charles talked about moving to Uganda. She didn't try to talk him out of it, but she did want to make sure he understood his choice. His mother was not very far away. Charles wouldn't have his own bedroom, air conditioning, or access to wireless internet anymore.
If he changed his mind, she wouldn't be able to bring him back. It would be for good if he really wanted it. The teen kept going.
Gerth booked two plane tickets to Uganda in October of 2021.
It has finally been done. It's finally here! The man jumped up and down. Everything he owned was put into four suitcases.
Gerth was second-guessing herself as the plane took off.
Gerth was trying to listen to what he wanted. Adults are in charge of children because he is a child. Even if they don't like it or agree with you, you have to let them know what's in their best interest. It's difficult love.
They boarded wooden boats to take them to the island where Charles' mother lived after a brief stop in a hotel to refresh. Charles talked about memories with his mother.
He would have gone if he had the option to swim across.
People on motorcycles took them to the island.
Buringi ran towards her son in a yellow dress and sandals. She reached him when he was still on the bike. Buringi lifted his feet and hugged Charles. She kept touching him.
Charles was given to his sisters by her. Buringi hugged and greeted Gerth.
The joy was so great. Charles smiled like that for the first time in a long time.
She remembers Buringi thanking her for her son's return.
The private investigator who found Buringi helped translate between English and Luganda talked to Gerth, Charles and Faridah for hours. Charles looked at his mom.
Gerth remembers him saying that they looked alike.
Their movements mirrored each other. Gerth was certain that she had made the right decision.
She thought this was what we wanted to see in him. We would like to see him succeed.
Gerth gave Buringi tips on how to calm Charles down. She felt like she was giving instructions to a child. Gerth wanted the family to have a smooth transition and be prepared for success.
She wondered if Charles would change his mind if he saw the cramped quarters and the lack of air conditioning.
He appeared to be happy and comfortable. The man showed off his drawings. He wrapped her in a hug after Gerth told him it was time for her to go.
She wouldn't be able to be his mom again.
Gerth had a group of boys play cards with him. Her steps were slow as she moved towards the dock. She felt unwell as if she couldn't breathe.
She was surprised by her own reaction. The past few months with Charles in the U.S. had felt like a living nightmare. Gerth believed she would be able to let him go.
She said that she was walking away from a child that she had been raising for six years. It doesn't feel right. This feels like it's not normal.
Gerth and the translator were walking back to the boat. Gerth didn't cry as Buringi thanked her, but she did cry as the boat pulled out.
Gerth looked out the airplane window. The thing is done.
She thought that was the case.
It seemed as though Charles had settled into Uganda. He was a student at the school. Gerth arranged for a lady to check in on Charles to make sure he had everything he needed.
Gerth and her children were returning to the United States after living there for a long time. She said it was a relief to see Charles back in Uganda. The family didn't have to keep their doors locked. The cameras couldn't be used.
Gerth reached out to a woman in Uganda to let them know that USA TODAY was interested in interviewing Charles again.
That's right. The woman stopped.
The woman told Gerth that she went to Charles' school to drop off his groceries but he wasn't there. Charles contacted the US Embassy in Uganda when he was 18. He wanted to go back to the US.
Gerth said she was told by Sally that Charles had been found in Uganda.
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Gerth said that they were worried about her concern for him. The State Department refused to interview anyone about Charles.
Gerth explained that Charles had been in school and that she had been covering his expenses.
She asked, "Do you know you're talking about a grown man?"
Gerth pointed the U.S. official toward the parents of Charles. Gerth provided their address and phone number.
She didn't hear from anyone at the embassy after that.
The man who messaged Gerth said he had heard about her from Charles.
The man said Charles was brought to his charity organization by the U.S. Embassy while the government processed documents for his return to the US.
The man wrote that Charles was going to leave that night.
The man said that he wanted to thank you for the love and care you gave to Charles, and that he hoped God would bless you.
The man used a different name for himself, but photos that accompanied the message showed he was grinning, posing and hanging out in a swimming pool.
Gerth remembers when Charles used to trick people into giving him food, clothes or shoes in the cafeteria. She said that Charles was in a mechanics program and not on the street. She said he wouldn't be welcomed back in the house.
She said that she had been played and that she was happy.
The man apologized and promised to speak to the embassy. He told Gerth that Charles had gone to live with an aunt in Uganda.
USA TODAY didn't know where Charles was.
The man from the nonprofit was asked by the media outlet to give an update on Charles. The man said that Charles had come back to his mom.
He said that they are no longer with Charles.
The USA TODAY investigations team focuses on children and social services. She can be reached by phone at (317) 207-2855 or by email at mkwiwatko.usatoday.com.
A broken system leaves a lot of people without homes.
International adoptions can have a negative side, as shown by one boy's quest.
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