On the night of 18 January 2017, a 7-year-old girl was all alone outside during several hours unattended by any adults. She was spotted near a building in Chernoyarskaya Street in Yekaterinburg by a man who then called the police. Police officers took the girl to the station to identify her and find where she lived.
The Sverdlovsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee has requested the district prosecutor’s office that the files of a check the police ran into the incident should be transferred to the regional investigative authority for a procedural decision to be made. Following that check the Sverdlovsk Region office of the Investigative Committee opened an investigation in endangerment under Article 125 of the RF Penal Code.
At the present time, investigators are looking into not only the circumstances and reasons shy the girl was alone outside at night, but her living conditions in the family. The girl’s family, the staff of her school and other people are being interrogated. Necessary documents regarding the girl’s health and character evidence of the family have been requested.
The investigators are also going to find out all the reasons and conditions that contributed to the endangerment of the child and will then take necessary steps to prevent such incidents from happening in future.
Investigative practice shows that one of factors contributing to crimes committed against children is child neglect, failure by parents or other persons responsible for the children to take proper steps to prevent them from being unattended.
The girl who stayed alone at night in winter for a long time was endangered and could have been attacked by both perpetrators and stray dogs, let alone she could have gotten frozen in the cold.
In connection with the accident, the Sverdlovsk Region Office of the Investigative Committee appeals to all those who have children to take care of, asking them to undertake all possible measures to prevent such and other incidents endangering children.
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