In the summer of 1990, the three brothers Iliuţ, Elena, Maria, Vasile and Anca, arrived in Northern Canada, the British Columbia region. With them, the Lalandes who had adopted also the newborn Anda Scutelnicu. Since then, nearly 25 years have passed, during which time no one knew anything about their fate. The grandmother of the three children tried to trace them all her life.
The people in the small town did not know much about the Lalandes. They spent only four years together in Tumbler Ridge, after which they moved from one place to another. Elena became Jenny Vasile-Michael, and Anca became Amy. Just Anda remained Anda. Athough a lot of time passed since them, priest Bill Hendly remembered how the adoption was handled.. Arlens Lalande told him how the whole process turned into a transaction.
"They were very happy because they said they had the opportunity to adopt a child from Romania. I understand that there were more who went there," the priest said.
The Canadian press of that time wrote that on the black market a child would sell with $ 20,000. Pastor Hendly remembered a smaller amount. In addition, he knew that the Arlens were helped by a Romanian, an intermediate, but he could no longer remember his name.
Klaus Iohannis, back then a school inspector, admitted he was involved in the adoption of the Iliuţ family children. "The role that I and my wife had was minor one, a colleague came and asked us if we were willing, especially my wife, to translate" Klaus Johannis said. Neighbors said something else, though.
For as long as she lived, the children’s grandmother has tried to reach them and find out how they were.
Mioara Iliuţ, the children’s aunt asked Klaus Iohannis many times to help them with news from the children in Canada.
Klaus Iohannis failed to reply.
In Canada, those who knew the Lalandes say that children were better. Everyone in Tumbler Ridge who have met the Lalandes and their adopted children, lost track of them a long time ago.
