Nationwide Adoption Agency Abruptly Closes Their Doors
TRACY (CBS13) - A nationwide adoption agency abruptly closes their doors and files for bankruptcy leaving hundreds of employees without jobs and nearly 2,000 families with questions.
Independent Adoption Center sent a note to clients and employees announcing the bankruptcy due to a "changing adoption climate."
Jim Jensen and his wife Candy spent a decade trying to make a family.
Jim says it was like Christmas morning when they adopted two day old Alex six years ago.
They used Independent Adoption Center and had success. Everything was smooth. They were currently on the list for the last three years waiting to give Alex a sibling.
"There are so many kids out there who need a family. We have a lot of love to give," said Candy, "we just want to complete our family."
Then, unexpected devastation. This week Independent Adoption Center announced it's filing for bankruptcy and closed the business.
"It's horrible, it's devastating, it's heartbreaking, it's a roller coaster," said Candy, "sometimes you can't believe it's really happening."
IAC had operations across the country in California, Texas, North Carolina, Connecticut, New York, Indiana, Georgia, and Florida. They had around 1900 clients at various stages of adoption.
"It happened really fast, we didn't really get any notice, we were just told, here it is," said Jim Jensen.
Jim and Candy had invested about $15,000 dollars. And now, the money was gone, and all of their important documents for Alex and the potential adoption were locked behind closed doors.
"They have our records of all of his shots. Everything about him they have. His social security number and all that," said Jim.
Chaos and uncertainty for this Tracy family and hundreds of others.
"We have nothing, absolutely nothing," Explained Krista McIlmoil from the Bay Area.
She brought home her adopted baby two months ago and is only through the first of six post adoption steps to make it legal.
"I can't even imagine the thought of losing her," McIlmoil said.
Families and now left holding tight to what they can.
Independent Adoption Center provided the below resources for families to contact with questions.