The Largely Unknown Crimes of Georgia Tann.
Child Trafficking
For over 20 years, Georgia Tann abducted children. Working as a social worker, Tann took children under false pretenses, tricking their parents into signing them over to her. Tann also took newborns, when their mothers were still under anesthetic and told the mothers their babies had died. It wasn't uncommon for Tann and her staff to kidnap babies from the street, or other public spaces. More shocking is the fact that this occured in the United States, less than a century ago (from 1924 to 1950), and spanned for over 2 decades.
Tann ran the Tennessee Children's Home Society in Memphis, where the conditions for the children were far less than safe and loving. The caretakers were abusive, cold, not qualified to care for children, and there were not enough of them. Georgia Tann essentially ran a "black market" for children and it made her extremely wealthy. Most of the children she abducted came from poor families and were sold to rich families, sometimes even famous Hollywood elites. Forged adoption papers and legal papers claiming abandonment were used to further the appearance of the legitimacy of these adoptions. Tann was actually popular and well respected in the public's eye. Many children died.
Shocking and Incredibly Sad
It is estimated that 500 children died from sickness, neglect and/or abuse, while in the care of Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children's Home Society. These children were not fed properly, suffered from dehydration, lived in unsanitary conditions, were often not given medical care when sick and were abused both physically and sexually by Tann and her employees. Nearly 5000 children were abducted and sold the by Tann and the society. With the help of some crooked, powerful people (judges, lawyers and government officials), Georgia was able to continue these atrocious crimes and make a handsome profit. During Tann's crime spree, the infant mortality rate in Memphis was the highest in the country. When adoption laws changed to mandate that all adoptions be "open", Tann used her influence with powerful people to make it so adoptions she handled could still be carried out as "closed" adoptions, shrouded in secrecy. Closed adoptions are still popular today. Tann did popularize adoption in the United States, and brought it into the public light, this is perhaps the only good thing that came out of her existence.
There was Never any Justice
Tann died of cancer in the 1950s and never answered for any of the crimes she committed.
When the had finally amassed the evidence to charge her the window to charge her had been locked and boarded up, she was charged with some crimes, just 2 days before her death.
Sidenote: Sorry to write about such a heavy and sad topic. I listened to a podcast (which I linked below) about Georgia Tann yesterday and was shocked that this was a part of United States history that I had never heard about before. The ugly and difficult things in history should be discussed, in hopes that they are not repeated.
** Sources **
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Hey @banjo thank you sir.