In an odd and tragic tale, a wealthy couple adopted an 11-year-old boy from Haiti, only to leave him at an academy when they found out about a habit he has. Sadly, the habit isn’t uncommon so people online were outraged to hear the parents make such a judgemental decision. However, the story gets worse.
Adopting Haitian Children
A wealthy Christian couple named, Mark and Spring Goldman live in Traverse City, Michigan, and have 4 children. Two are biological, while two, Elijah and his little sister, were adopted from Haiti. The Haitian siblings were adopted through a program that addresses the significant orphan crisis in Haiti.
A Common Habit
The family’s issues began when Elijah was around 14. Spring got a notification one day that Elijah was watching adult videos on his Kindle. She confronted him, and like most teens, he lied about it. Unfortunately, the notifications kept popping up and Elijah was caught and, lied on several occasions.
Over the years, Elijah bought a phone to watch videos and began recording himself with his girlfriend and keeping exposed pictures of her. After several incidents, the couple decided to send their Haitian son to an academy to be “disciplined.”
Disciplining Their Haitian Son
“For that, they said I was a p**n addict and a s*x addict, and that I needed to go to a program,” Elijah explained. Elijah and Mark got into a fight and Elijah ran away. As a result, the pair decided to send their Haitian son to the Teen Challenge Adventure Ranch in Arizona. The Christian Center helps teen boys address addiction and behavioral issues. He was there for 9 months, before a month at the Master’s Ranch Christian Academy in Missouri. Unfortunately, Elijah’s treatment made him “fear for his life.”
Gruesome Treatment Center
Ultimately, the Haitian left the treatment center in Missouri and was sent to the Atlantis Leadership Academy in Jamaica. However, his story continued as he was subjected to more abuse. Since then, a team of children’s rights lawyers and socialite Paris Hilton, have teamed up to close down the school due to abusive and traumatic discipline methods and some gruesome details have come to light.
For instance, Elijah disclosed he was beaten in the back with a hammer. Meanwhile, other reports include complaints of being waterboarded with a hose and being forced to engage in fight clubs. In April, 5 faculty members were arrested at the facility in Jamaica for “child abuse, bodily harm, and assault.”
Ignoring Their Haitian Son
Although his adoptive parents knew of his challenges they refused to let him come home. “They didn’t want me home, and they didn’t believe me about the whole court thing, that they were abusing us,” the Haitian boy, now 17, said. Moreover, Elijah didn’t hear from his adoptive parents until April, despite being removed from the school in February.
A Lawyer Intervenes
Dawn Post, a children’s rights attorney, traveled to Jamaica to meet with Elijah and review his case. “They [Mark and Spring] were specifically told, “Your son was abused.” And they didn’t even send him clothes,” she said. “What makes it so astounding is that these wealthy parents think they can get away with it.”
“If it was a biological parent — believe me — you’d have an abandonment case against them,” she concluded.
Supporting the Young Haitian
His adoptive parents didn’t meet him at the airport in Florida. Rather, he was greeted by Post and another abuse survivor. Sadly, there was some discrepancy over where the Haitian boy would live and he was placed into a children’s home before state officials sent him on a flight to Traverse City. Interestingly, Mark was there to greet him but was accompanied by a child protection services officer. Elijah explained that the officer told him his dad was putting him on a plane in Utah, where he’d be set up in an apartment. However, he declined.
Moving Forward
“I don’t think they love me anymore. But we do have some good memories,” Elijah said of his adoptive parents. In contrast, Elijah’s story has a seemingly happy ending on the horizon. A few weeks ago, a foster parent and retired school teacher in the Traverse City area volunteered to take responsibility for the young Haitian American. “It’s just the right thing to do,” said Terri, whose last name has remained anonymous.
A Celebrity Against Child Abuse
Paris Hilton, who has been mentally impacted by treatment centers, has taken a personal interest in this case. As such, she flew out to Jamaica to support the boys before their U.S. return.
“When I heard about what eight American children had endured in the hands of a troubled teen facility in Jamaica, I knew I had to drop everything to show my support of their testimony,” Hilton said at a press conference earlier this year. “There is nowhere that a facility can hide where we cannot find them. We will not allow children to carry the shame and stigma of abuse alone — that belongs solely to the abusers. It outrages me that it is taking months to bring these children back to the United States and mere moments to send them away in the first place.”
Haitian Orphan Crisis
Sadly, child welfare advocates say it’s not uncommon for adoptive parents to “abandon” troubled children. Moreover, being troubled is common in children who’ve been orphaned or in foster care. Elijah and his sister were adopted through a program in Haiti that seeks to address its estimated 30,000 children needing homes. Unfortunately, many of these orphaned children are abused or exploited by human traffickers. Luckily, advocates like Dawn Post, Paris Hilton, and countless others work tirelessly to ensure the safety and well-being of children.