Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

DALLAS - Authorities in Russia say they want to know how a toddler adopted by an American family died in West Texas.

Russia's Investigative Committee said Monday that it had opened an investigation into the Jan. 21 death of 3-year-old Maxim Kuzmin. The committee says it has information the boy was mistreated.

Texas Child Protective Services confirmed Monday that Ector County Sheriff's Department is investigating the death of 3-year-old named Max Shatto.

Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Gary Duesler says an autopsy is pending on a 3-year-old boy who was adopted from Russia. CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins said the agency was investigating allegations of physical abuse and neglect. No arrests have been made.

Russian authorities recently banned American adoptions. They say the boy's case is another example of "inhuman treatment" by American parents.