The Latgale District Court on Monday sentenced the mother of a two-year-old boy who froze to death in Rēzekne Municipality this February to two years and nine months in prison.
The woman was found guilty of manslaughter through negligence and cruelty toward a minor. She received a prison sentence of two years, nine months, and 28 days, with two days of pre-trial detention credited toward her sentence.
The court also ordered the woman to pay €2,900 in compensation to the victim’s father.
A shortened version of the verdict was announced on Monday. The parties involved have ten days to request the full judgment and decide whether to appeal.
The tragic incident occurred on February 1 this year in Lendži Parish, Rēzekne Municipality. According to the indictment, the accused had been drinking alcohol with other individuals and
failed to ensure the necessary supervision of her young child.
While intoxicated, the mother—knowing that her one-year-and-eleven-month-old son was an active walker and required constant supervision—took no action to prevent him from accessing alcoholic beverages in the home or from freely and unsupervised leaving the house.
The boy, after waking from a nap, managed to access alcohol at home and went outside alone during a snowstorm, barefoot and without outerwear. He remained outdoors for a long time in a helpless state, suffering from severe stress and cold exposure. Late in the evening, the child was found covered in snow and showing no signs of life. According to the prosecution, toxicological analysis later confirmed the presence of alcohol in the child’s system.
The mother was charged with two criminal offenses. She was charged under Section 123, Part 1 of the Criminal Law, which provides that causing death by negligence is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years, short-term detention, probation supervision, or community service.
She was also charged under Section 174, Part 2, which states that cruel or violent treatment of a minor
—resulting in physical or psychological suffering by a person on whom the child is materially or otherwise dependent, and if such actions do not result in the consequences described in Sections 125 or 126—is punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, short-term detention, or probation supervision.
As previously reported, the boy’s disappearance was noticed around 1:30 p.m., and police were informed around 3 p.m. A large-scale search operation was launched, involving officers from other units, several drones, and a police dog with its handler.
That same evening, at 9:22 p.m., the boy was found lifeless approximately 200 meters from Taudejaņi railway station. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts, his life could not be saved.
At the scene, police detained two women—born in 1985 and 1964. On February 3, police requested that one of them be placed in custody, but the court rejected the request and instead imposed a non-custodial measure—police supervision.
In June, a separate criminal case was opened against the woman born in 1964 for disclosing information obtained during the pre-trial investigation.
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