MOSCOW, December 2 - RAPSI. A U.S. court acquitted another individual charged with murdering his adopted Russian son, the press office of Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Pavel Astakhov told RIA Novosti on Friday.
"Iowa's Johnson County District Court acquitted on November 3 Brian Dale Dykstra, 44, who was charged with willfully murdering his 21-month-old son Isaac Jonathan Dykstra," the press office reported.
According to the commissioner, the boy died on August 14, 2005. The U.S. police investigated the case for over five years. However, the U.S. authorities said nothing about the case to the Russian Embassy or the Education Ministry, which oversees intercountry adoption.
Russia was only informed about the case after the U.S. jury acquitted the defendants.
"The Americans expressed their regret at not being able to inform Russia about the death of our young fellow citizens, as well as to adequately defend the rights of children who have suffered," the press office said.
Isaac Dykstra died in the United States three months after he was adopted by an American couple. His foster father Brian Dykstra was charged with his murder, but later released on $15,000 bail. He denied the charges and said his son was sick and eventually died as a result.
Isaac Dykstra's death is the nineteenth fatal case involving Russian children adopted by U.S. citizens.
Astakhov has asked U.S. officials to take urgent measures to protect Russian children adopted in the United States. According to Astakhov, over 60,000 Russian adopted children live in the United States today.