Sneak peek: What Happened to the Perfect Child? | Forensic Files

[Music] how old were you when you were adopted i was nine and that's what i wanted
i want to feel loved and i want a family [Music] i wanted a lot of children you see your friends having children and
you try and you can't it was difficult when we finally learned that we were going to be able to go over to russia
and pick up a little boy and girl of our own it was just a tremendous event and we were very excited
we had seen pictures of the children and they were beautiful [Music] how did the agency describe currently
a wonderful outgoing intelligent little girl loved to be around all ages of children and desperately looking for
parents was that an accurate description no it was not no [Music] after we returned home we would see her
staring off into the distance blankly in a trance-like state she started to stand
over our bed at night wake up and she'd be right over my face there was a coldness in her and an anger
and just a distance she became someone i didn't know at all i mean at all [Music]
carolie began stealing everything in the house she stole all my jewelry our knives were disappearing she would do
things like putting a kitten in the middle of a pack of dogs cruel type behavior and then she snapped
and tried to kill joshua she had him in her hands and was going to throw him over the deck she had him yes
yes over the side here yes and i just started screaming put him down caroly put him down what are you doing i'm
gonna kill him i called the psychiatrist what am i gonna do you know what what do we do
she's becoming violent doctor there is no question in your mind that carolee is a very troubled little girl no there's
no question in my mind about it at all this child i would consider to be a homicide risk
she's been on all kinds of medication and none of it has worked we've had cameras installed and we've
had alarms installed on her doors you know i don't know what the solution is what am i going to do
i'm gonna get you the best help we can okay i love him and daddy just understand it i've
done many stories during the course of my career but this was one that that really stuck with me you want to
rescind the adoption we feel like we tried everything it hit me in my heart so you plan on
taking caroly back to russia yes yes i felt helpless leaving her behind i didn't know what would become of her
[Music] you're a strong girl strong girl you're gonna be fine okay don't cry [Music]
you

After a young girl is adopted from Russia, her American parents come to believe she is capable of murder and return her. Years later, "48 Hours" contributor Troy Roberts learns her surprising story. Watch Saturday, November 19 at 9/8c on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Adoption story reveals troubling behaviors of a girl named Caroly, leading parents to consider returning her to Russia.

Key points

The Adoption Journey. The excitement of adopting a boy and girl from Russia turns into a challenging reality.
The Troubling Transformation. After returning home, the adopted girl exhibits troubling behaviors that escalate quickly.
A Mother's Dilemma. Faced with escalating violence, the mother contemplates rescinding the adoption.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I want to feel loved and I want a family.

0:14WatchDec 2, 2021

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.