Report: Franklin Park Couple Accused of Abusing Adopted Children Win Custody of Biological Children

A Franklin Park couple accused of physically abusing and starving two children they adopted from Ethiopia in March will be reunited with their biological children, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported. 

 Douglas Barbour, a Pennsylvania Deputy Attorney General, is also charged with simple assault, court documents show.  

Barbour has been suspended from his state job without pay, Attorney General Linda Kelly said in a statement after the couple's arrest Oct. 4.

The biological children are in the care of their grandparents and have supervised visits with their parents about twice a week, Douglas Barbour's attorney Charles Porter told the P-G.

There have been no allegations of abuse against those two children.

The couple adopted the children from Ethiopia in March, according to a criminal complaint filed by county police. An investigation began Sept. 29 after the children—a 1-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy—were treated at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, authorities said.

A family court judge ruled in December that the Barbours should have custody of their 5- and 2-year-old biological children, but as a condition of the couple's bond, a criminal court judge said the parents were not to have unsupervised contact with them, the PG reported.

Deputy District Attorney Laura Ditka said the 5-year-old may be a witness against her parents.  Today, Judge Manning ordered the children returned to their parents, only after the older child's testimony is recorded, the Post-Gazette reported.

The couple is due to go on trial July 9.

Read more about the case here.  

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook  

Check out some of today's other top stories here.