At least one of the parents was possibly alive at the time of his adoption.
At the time of Maddox's adoption, head of the human rights agency Licadho Kek Galibru investigated the adoption and said: "I'm sure that this child was not a real orphan and was not abandoned.".However, Angelina has insisted Maddox was an orphan at the time of his adoption and said: "I would never rob a mother of her child.The Hollywood star was one of hundreds of American parents who used Lauryn Galindo to facilitate the adoption of Maddox from Cambodia, while she was apparently unaware of her potentially unethical practices.