ODESSA, March 2 – RAPSI. Official autopsy results for Russian orphan Maxim Kuzmin (renamed Max Shatto) that were released by Texan authorities Friday absolve adoptive parents Lauren and Alan Shatto of direct responsibility for the toddler’s death, establishing that the cause was a mortal wound accidentally inflicted by Maxim himself.

Sheriff Mark Donaldson of Ector County, Texas announced that the autopsy has been completed during a joint press conference with District Attorney Bobby Bland detailing the results. Donaldson then implored journalists not to jump to any conclusions about the presence of DA Bland at the press conference.

Although the Shatto’s have been cleared of direct responsibility, the possibility is not off the table that they could be charged with negligence or another related crime in connection with his death.

Texan authorities had earlier refuted claims made my Russian Children’s Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov at a press conference Thursday that police had concluded that Maxim’s death was not one of natural causes. According to Astakhov, the official investigation had revealed multiple lesions to Maxim’s head, legs, torso, and internal organs.

To the contrary, when contacted by RIA Novosti for a response, Child Protective Services (CPS-Texas) spokesman Patrick Crimmins said: "We have not concluded whether or not physical abuse caused or contributed to Max Shatto's death, and we have not concluded whether or not neglectful supervision caused or contributed to his death." 
At Friday’s press conference, Sheriff Donaldson went further, attesting to the fact that Kuzmin did not die of violence.

The official cause of death was a laceration to the small bowel mesentery artery which Bland said was caused by a blunt force trauma to the abdomen, according to a statement released by the sheriff’s office.

Bland continued: "I had four doctors agree that this is the result of an accident… We have to take that as fact."

Whereas Astakhov had previously stated that Maxim had been fed psychotropic drugs, Bland stated at the press conference that the medical examiners – three from Ector County and a fourth independent expert who was asked to review their conclusions – had found no sign of drugs in the boy’s system and added that bruises on his body were consistent with self-inflicted injuries.

“He had a history of self-injury,” Bland told RIA Novosti. “It was a behavioral disorder that manifested itself in this way, and it was previously documented.”

Speaking to the possibility that the parents might be held criminally liable despite the accidental nature of Maxim’s death, Bland explained: “People can be held criminally responsible for accidents. There are ways to violate the law even in an accidental situation and we’re going to still look into everything and make sure we get everything together and determine how to proceed.”

Still, “When you get down to it, an intentional killing is not supported by the medical evidence in this case,” Bland said.

Michael Brown, an attorney hired to represent Alan and Laura Shatto shortly after Max’s death, told RIA Novosti that Laura Shatto was home alone with the two boys, in the backyard and watching them play, when the accident occurred.

“She was watching them and she had to go to the bathroom,” Brown told RIA Novosti.

“It wasn’t very long, and when she came back out, Max was lying on his back. And she said, ‘Oh, Max, what are you doing?’ And she reached down to pick him up and determined that he wasn’t breathing.”

Immediately, according to Brown, Laura Shatto called emergency services and tried to perform CPR on the boy before the ambulance arrived and transported him to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

The death came just weeks after Russia enacted a ban on Americans adopting Russian children, in part because of concerns about previous deaths of adopted Russian children in America.