Los Angeles couple cleared in adopted daughter's death leave Qatar

DOHA, Qatar (KABC) -- A Los Angeles couple, cleared by a Qatari appeals court of wrongdoing in the 2013 death of their adopted daughter, headed back to the U.S. on Wednesday.

A lawyer for Matthew and Grace Huang tweeted a picture from their flight.

The two caught international attention after they were arrested last January on murder charges following the death in Qatar of their 8-year-old daughter Gloria, who was born in Ghana.

The Huangs spent months behind bars before being let out on their own recognizance last November.

After murder charges were dropped, they were convicted in March of child endangerment and sentenced to three years in prison. They were allowed to remain free pending their appeal, but banned from leaving the country.

An appeals court overturned charges of wrongdoing against the couple on Sunday, and a judge told them they were free to go.

Still, they were stopped at the airport and had their passports confiscated when they tried to pass through airport immigration control later that day.

According to a family spokesman, the delay was caused by some paperwork that still needed to be filed before they could take off.

But they successfully reached their departure gate, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Qatar Dana Shell Smith, who made sure they cleared passport control at Doha's Hamad International Airport.

Throughout the case, the family's representative continuously expressed concern that there were cultural misunderstandings underpinning the charges against them. Western-style adoptions and cross-cultural families are relatively rare in Qatar.

The Huangs, of Asian descent, have two other African-born adopted children who left the Qatar during the trial to live with relatives in the U.S.

A doctor in Qatar who conducted Gloria's autopsy determined that dehydration and a wasting disease were the cause of death. A report by Qatari police raised questions about why the Huangs would adopt children who did not share their "hereditary traits."

The Huangs said Gloria suffered from medical problems complicated by unusual eating habits. A report prepared in the U.S. by Janice Ophoven, a pediatric forensic psychologist who reviewed the case for the family, said that Gloria was severely malnourished when she was younger and would at times refuse to eat for several days before binge eating or getting food from unusual places, such as garbage cans or from strangers.

The Huangs moved as a family from California to Qatar in 2012 after Matthew Huang was hired to work as an engineer for the 2022 World Cup in Doha. Their Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) said "the Huangs are finally coming to the end of this Kafkaesque nightmare, which compounded the tragedy of their daughter's death. I appreciate the diligent work of the State Department, their family and friends, and supporters across the world in helping to secure their release."

A spokesman said a press conference is scheduled, but would not say exactly when the Huangs would arrive in Los Angeles.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.