Law enforcement officials in Odesa responded to the death of an infant born to 16-year-old parents
Two criminal cases have been opened in Odesa following the tragic death of a 10-month-old boy raised by his 16-year-old parents.
According to the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office, one of the cases concerns official negligence on the part of local government officials who were responsible for providing social support to this family.
The case involving official negligence resulting in serious consequences was opened under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Investigators are examining the legality of the actions taken by social service workers, as the family had previously come to the attention of the relevant authorities. According to People’s Deputy Pavlo Susko, the police had already received reports of suicide attempts by the teenage mother, after which the child welfare service requested that the family be placed under supervision. However, according to the MP, the actual intervention was limited to a preventive counseling session, and the family later submitted a written refusal of services. The Odesa City Council declined to comment on the situation until all the circumstances have been established.
Meanwhile, regarding the infant’s death, which occurred on July 5, a criminal investigation is underway under Article 115 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, classified as an “accident.” According to preliminary data, the boy was left unattended while being fed and choked on food after vomit entered his airways. The infant’s body has now been sent for a forensic medical examination to determine the final cause of death.
This was reported by the Odesa Regional Prosecutor’s Office in a statement to Ukrinform.
A tragedy has occurred in Odesa—a 10-month-old infant has died after, according to preliminary data, choking on food while left unattended by adults. Law enforcement officials are investigating all the circumstances of the incident and reviewing the actions of social services. According to preliminary information, the 16-year-old parents briefly left the child alone in the apartment. When they returned, the boy was already showing no signs of life.
Previously, the newborn boy had been admitted to the Center for Pediatric Medicine due to persistent vomiting and failure to gain weight. Despite changes in formula and feeding regimen, the child was unable to properly digest even small amounts of food.
Doctors at the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital helped nurse a severely premature infant back to health; the baby was born at 29 weeks of gestation, weighing only 1,060 grams and measuring 38 centimeters in length. The child’s condition at birth was critical.
