VK, an 11-year-old boy (pictured), was starved and medically abused by his foster mother, Lyubov Korotkova. VK was homeschooled. Korotkova also had an adult son who lived with them and an adult daughter.
Korotkova became VK’s foster mother and removed him from an orphanage in 2009 when he was 3 years old. For eight years, Korotkova habitually starved VK and gave him medication to make him sick so that she could fraudulently claim he was disabled, eventually collecting approximately $65,000 in disability benefits. Korotkova was seen by her neighbors as a hero for raising a disabled child, and when VK was rescued at first the neighbors staged a public campaign for VK’s return. Korotkova’s husband, Andrei, was unaware of the abuse.
The abuse was uncovered by doctor in May 2017. At that time 11-year-old VK weighed as much as a 4-year-old. Korotkova was sentenced to 6 years in prison for torture. VK’s psychologist was granted custody of him.
Date: May 2017
Location: Magadan, Russia
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