QCOSTARICA – A 19 year old and her 17 year old partner, were arrested Friday by OIJ agents, as suspects in the death of their two month old baby.
The arrest of the couple occurred at 1:00pm FridaY, at the Children’s Hospital (Hospital Nacional de Niños – HNN) in San José, after being told that their infant had just died.
According to the Judicial Police, the baby was taken to the Pavas clinic, with health problems. In the police version, the parents told the clinic that the infant was breathing in an unusual way, that it was noted after the father was alleged to have been playing with the child.
At the Children’s Hospital, once doctors assessed the condition of the infant, they found that it had suffered internal injuries consistent with the signs of a battered child.
Friday morning at 9:00am, when OIJ agents of the Juvenile Seection arrived at the hospital to investigate, they found the baby in delicate condition. Hours later, the infant died.
Dr. Olga Arguedas, director of the HNN, explained the baby died of a cerebral hemorrhage caused by a skull fracture and other injuries.
“The baby had broken bones in her limbs, rib injuries, internal bleeding and head injuries, causing a neurological death,” explained Arguedas.
According to the doctor, the most recent injury was on Thursday, the day the baby was first taken to the clinic and then transferred to the Children’s Hospital.
“Bone fractures allowed us to verify that this was not the first time the baby girl had been abused,” said Arguedas.
According to Children’s Hospital data, the number of children coming in to the medical centre with abuses has doubled since 2013.
Arguedas told La Nacion that, on average, each week the hospital receives between 50 and 60 cases of suspected child abuse. The doctor said that most of the cases come from “districts with a high social risk” (poor areas).
Via nacion.com
