ODESSA -- A 3-year-old boy whose death fueled a fight over American adoptions of Russian children was brought into a West Texas hospital unresponsive and bruised on several parts of his body, a medical examiner's investigator said Tuesday.
Russian authorities have blamed the Jan. 21 death of Max Alan Shatto on "inhuman treatment" at the hands of the American family that adopted him, but the medical examiner's office said it couldn't immediately be determined if the bruises were intentional or accidental.The boy was identified by the Russians as Maxim Kuzmin. Authorities in West Texas continue to investigate the case, and an autopsy is pending.Shirley Standefer, chief investigator for the Ector County Medical Examiner's Office, says there were signs of bruising on Max's body, including in the lower abdominal area. Max was pronounced dead at a hospital, Standefer said."Whether it's just normal bruising from a child being a child, or whether those bruises are from something else, I can't confirm or deny this," Standefer said.A full autopsy will be needed to determine what kind of bruising was on Max's body, she said. The autopsy is being conducted in Tarrant County, about 300 miles east of Odessa.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
