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Head of department at social service of Moscow Region Education Ministry suspected of negligence leading to death of adopted girl

The Moscow Region Office of the Investigative has opened a criminal investigation against head of the children’s placement office of the Kashira and Ozyory Urban Districts Guardianship Department of the Moscow Region Government suspected of a crime under Part 2 of Article 293 of the RF Penal Code (negligence that entailed death by negligence).

According to investigators, in 2010, in accordance with the court decision Chernikov husband and wife adopted a 4-month-old girl. The head of the said office was controlling the girl’s living and upbringing conditions. Her duty was to conduct an annual examination in adopting families and then make reports. The investigators have revealed that the administration of the day care center, representatives of the parents’ committee and the grandmother lodged complaints with the office several times about foster father’s systematic physical violence.

However, no proper measures were taken to stop it. Moreover, the annual reports were just a formality while the woman did not even go to the family’s residence in Ozyory Urban District. Instead of analyzing the child’s living conditions in detail, the document stated that the family had everything they needed, no additional assistance was necessary, that the adoption allegedly was successful and the family was absolutely normal.

This way the official’s negligence led to not just multiple violations of the child’s rights, but also basically created every condition for the consequences that were unavoidable with that attitude to her work. The investigators believe that the Chernikovs killed their daughter in 2016.

At the present time, there are a number of interviews and other investigative operations planned to collect and register the evidence in the negligence case.

The murder charges have been pressed against the girl’s father (Part 2, items “c” and “h” of Article 105) and mother (Part 5 of Article 33, Part 2, items “c” and “g” of Article 105 of the RF Penal Code). The burnt remains that look like bones and multiple dry brown stains, which look like blood, are under DNA tests. The accused will have a psychological evaluation. The investigation is ongoing.