NH - James and Lizette Eckert, shot to death by their adopted son, 11, Alton, May 2019.
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meanmaryjean
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An acquaintance adopted two toddlers from Ukraine (or maybe Russia- I don't recall exactly). Both came with such severe behavioral issues that she 're-homed' them as they were a physical danger to her biological kids. (Terrible term, I am not sure how else to describe it) The facade they put up during this whole dumpster fire was pretty amazing.
Besides the tragedy of these children, she and her husband had spent the better part of a year fundraising- so that much of the cost was borne by friends and family. And the cost was substantial (around $50k methinks) - and many, many damaged relationships were the result.
Besides the tragedy of these children, she and her husband had spent the better part of a year fundraising- so that much of the cost was borne by friends and family. And the cost was substantial (around $50k methinks) - and many, many damaged relationships were the result.
LietKynes
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In a small New Hampshire town, terror was a trespasser - The Boston Globe
".....In around 2010, they adopted their boys, who were then about 2 and 4 years old, from Russia through KidsFirst Adoption in Indiana, according to agency director Inna Pecar...."
"...There were cracks in the picture. James and Lizette were quietly running up almost $100,000 in credit card debt; their student loans topped $250,000. They bought luxury items they never seemed to use, neighbors said. And the Eckerts had never been considered particularly social in their lakeside neighborhood. They were standoffish and abrupt, and had dogs that always seemed to be outside barking in the middle of the night, said neighbor Ray Topar and a neighbor couple who asked not to be named...."
Emph. Mine
Re. the bolded sections : Why didn't they use the items they'd purchased ? Seems odd.
As far as the dogs--- maybe they were untrained animals or they didn't have time to deal with dogs as well as the children ?
Trying to figure out what went on before the tragedy.
Home | KidsFirst Adoption
This adoption program seems legit and offers immediate help if there's a problem with the adopted child.
Wonder if the Eckert's had contacted them about the shooter before the murders ?
If so-- the convos' would be private-- but they could assist LE in assessing what went so wrong.
The agency's FB :
KidsFirst Adoption Services - Home
".....In around 2010, they adopted their boys, who were then about 2 and 4 years old, from Russia through KidsFirst Adoption in Indiana, according to agency director Inna Pecar...."
"...There were cracks in the picture. James and Lizette were quietly running up almost $100,000 in credit card debt; their student loans topped $250,000. They bought luxury items they never seemed to use, neighbors said. And the Eckerts had never been considered particularly social in their lakeside neighborhood. They were standoffish and abrupt, and had dogs that always seemed to be outside barking in the middle of the night, said neighbor Ray Topar and a neighbor couple who asked not to be named...."
Emph. Mine
Re. the bolded sections : Why didn't they use the items they'd purchased ? Seems odd.
As far as the dogs--- maybe they were untrained animals or they didn't have time to deal with dogs as well as the children ?
Trying to figure out what went on before the tragedy.
Home | KidsFirst Adoption
This adoption program seems legit and offers immediate help if there's a problem with the adopted child.
Wonder if the Eckert's had contacted them about the shooter before the murders ?
If so-- the convos' would be private-- but they could assist LE in assessing what went so wrong.
The agency's FB :
KidsFirst Adoption Services - Home
janewall
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I'm not sure which photo of the children you and the other posters are judging by. Is it the one in the Daily Beast article in which the children's faces are pixelated, or is there another photo of the kids that I've missed?
It looks to me as if the boys are darker in skin tone than their adoptive family, but not necessarily non-white. There appear to be pronounced tan lines, or maybe bad-Photoshopping lines, around the neck and sleeve borders of the t-shirts they all are wearing, so I'm not sure I trust the skin tones shown to be theirs at all.
If the kids are of eastern Russian heritage, or if their families originated in one of the former Russian republics in the Caucasus or central Asia, they could very well look Asian or even Middle Eastern. Even Leonid Brezhnev, ethnically Ukrainian, had Asian looking features. In addition there are small tribal groups across Russia that historically have been enclave-like and insular, with the result of physically distinctive features. The boys could even be of Roma heritage.
The boys clearly have much darker skin than the rest of the family. Ethnic Russians are white skinned. So they are unlikely to be ethnic Russians but with face blurred out it's hard to say of which ethnicity they are. Not that it matters, just an observation.
Lots of problems could have nothing to do with development and attachment while in an orphanage. Your genes program you to be what you are going to be. If there were any substance abuse by the parents, or parents had mental health issues, they child could be adopted as an infant and it's still going to be a problem.
LietKynes
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Lizette's FB had a photo of the family in her profile pic.
Wasn't sure if I could post it here.
I did not think the boys have FAS.
Maybe someone more experience with facial features can chime in ?
Wondered if the shooter had this anger brewing for some time-- or a specific event led to this.
James was shot multiple times, while Lizette was executed with just one shot.
Was there more rage towards James ?
I don't see the photo the facebook?
LietKynes
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It was on the FB profile photo of Lizettes'.
Most of her photos and all of her posts are now deleted.
Her FB is memorialized.
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LietKynes
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Can the killer's photo be posted here ? Otherwise a message ?
I was able to save some photos before they were erased.
The relatives could've left some of the photos of the kids who weren't involved, as a tribute.
They're going to need a lot of support.
It's a way to remember people.
I was able to save some photos before they were erased.
The relatives could've left some of the photos of the kids who weren't involved, as a tribute.
They're going to need a lot of support.
It's a way to remember people.
LietKynes
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Thanks for linking ; that was a tough read, human.
Russian adoptions have been discontinued , though ?
With any adoption, the adoptive parents need to be told what the children are like, and why their parents relinquished them.
The Eckerts' may have been told nothing about these boys.
Casper406
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I took a couple of screenshots from Liz Eckert's FB profile before it was scrubbed of photos. I, too, have the original family photo that shows the boys' un-blurred pictures and was wondering if I can post it here.
In her "Likes" category is a group called "Beyond Trauma and Attachment - BeTA," which describes itself as "a group of parents who are raising children [who] have experienced Complex Trauma and struggle with attachment difficulties." The Globe article mentions this group, and it seems to be a significant clue deserving more attention
In her "Likes" category is a group called "Beyond Trauma and Attachment - BeTA," which describes itself as "a group of parents who are raising children [who] have experienced Complex Trauma and struggle with attachment difficulties." The Globe article mentions this group, and it seems to be a significant clue deserving more attention
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LietKynes
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SABBM
Yes, I saw that as well. Simply cannot seem to find anything else about the family ; other than the links I've already posted.
People say good things about the Eckert adults, but given what transpired it's to be expected.
So the only evidence we'd be able to glean would be from the surviving children.
Unless someone else speaks up.
I couldn't find any records of CPS involvement with the Eckert's.
Everyone who spoke well of the Eckerts' also didn't seem to be very close to them -- like best friends.
They (Eckert's) hosted parties before the move from ME. But the boys were fairly young then --so maybe no issues had surfaced ?
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LietKynes
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Snipped for brevity.
I think you can post the photo here.
Did you get any other photos of the murderer than the family pic. ?
Due to his young age I expect he'll be a free young man by the time he's 18 or 21.
If the unsuspecting populace he's released into isn't afraid of him -- they should be.
If you can kill the parents who have raised you since the age of two years old --- you can kill anyone.
There's a veil of secrecy around him and the law is usually kind to young offenders.
The boys who committed the Jonesboro , AR school shooting were given new identities and are now free. Although they haven't managed to stay out of trouble.
(Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden)
There's a Wiki page for these two .
Released too soon; imo.
At 11 years old-- ( ___ ) Eckert may not understand the long term consequences of his actions -- but he most likely knew that it was very wrong.
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LaborDayRN
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If you search Lizette Eckert on Facebook then scroll down through the results, the unblurred photo is out there. So sad. They look like such a happy family. :-(
As a side note, some ethnic Russians, Poles, Ukrainians etc. do have dark complected features. I am guessing the number maybe 5-10% . For example, there are several people with distinctly mediterranean looks in my family (Polish) and I have noted others at various cultural functions.
The darker features could be the result of previous marriage with other ethnic groups. Or, they could be from ancient days. Ancient Slavs have been said to of originally been a cultural group comprised of several different ethnic groups with varying complections.
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Russia is a multi-national state with more than 186 ethnic groups, and what you consider as "ethnic Russians" are about 80 percent of the population of Russia, the rest belongs to some of the other 185 ethnic groups in Russia, and they are as much Russians as those ethnic Russians. Some of those other ethnic groups have even their own national republics, but those are still a part of Russia. Russia/the Soviet Union have occupied other countries, and made those occupated lands a part of "motherland Russia" and the population there are to be counted as Russians, even if they are not "ethic Russians". (from Wikipedia, Ethnic groups in Russia, can't copy the link.)