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During probe in murder of girl in Khabarovsk Territory, negligence probe launched against officials of child welfare system

The Khabarovsk Territory Office of the Investigative Committee is looking into murder of a girl under Part 2, item “c” of Article 105 of the RF Criminal Code. A reinforced team has been set up to investigate the crime.

As became known earlier, dead body of an unidentified girl with signs of violent death was found on the evening of 10 July 2017 in a yard of a house in Industrialny District in the city of Khabarovsk.

The girl’s 26-year-old mother and her 38-year-old boyfriend have been apprehended during well-planned and efficient investigative and search operations. They confessed to the crime and told the investigators that they had been beating the girl occasionally. On 10 July 2017, the girl developed fever, but the perpetrators were drunk and didn’t call an ambulance fearing that paramedics would see multiple bruises on the girl. The girl started whimpering because she was ill and the woman and man were not happy about it. They beat her again and then the man covered the girl’s face with his hand so that she could not breathe. He removed his hand only after the girl had stopped breathing. Then the woman and man took the body to one of the yards and put it under a tree.

The crime was solved on a hot scent thanks to coherent work of the investigators and police, as well as sympathy of citizens. Over a short time, the investigators did a lot or work to identify the girl and to find out all the circumstances surrounding the crime. To identify the child, they checked hospitals, daycare centers, state guardianship institutions. They questioned 120 witnesses, checked 173 flats and pulled out footages from CCTV cameras. Using forensic equipment, they examined the scene and searched the parents’ flat. They found there girl’s blood and other physical evidence. Several forensic examinations have been ordered (DAN, medical, dactylographic tests and psychiatric evaluation).

The man and the woman were charged and are now expecting a custodial restraint.

The investigators have revealed that they were officially unemployed, had asocial lifestyle, abused alcohol and did not raise the girl. The man has convictions for property crimes. The woman was registered at the Khabarovsk Territory child protective services as the one who failed to discharge parental duties.

The Khabarovsk Territory Office of the Investigative Committee has initiated criminal proceedings against unidentified officials of the child protective services suspected of negligence under Part 2 of Article 293 of the RF Criminal Code. According to investigators, the officials were criminally negligent when they failed to take steps to assert and protect rights and legal interests of the girl.

The investigations continue.