A three-month-old baby died in Vienna last Tuesday, presumably from shaken baby syndrome. The Vienna public prosecutor’s office has started an investigation. There is currently “no urgent suspicion against the parents that would justify pre-trial detention,” said authority spokeswoman Nina Bussek when asked by the APA. The two are currently at large. “We now have to determine what actually happened,” said Bussek on Thursday afternoon.
As police spokeswoman Julia Schick had previously explained, the 26-year-old mother and her son came to a large hospital at 11 p.m. last Saturday, where doctors immediately began treatment. Because the baby had apparently been shaken and ultimately suffered fatal brain injuries, they called the police. “The hospital expressed initial suspicion that a minor was being tortured,” confirmed Bussek. This is now being investigated: “An autopsy has been ordered.” Whether and to what extent the suspicion could change is currently not foreseeable. That depends on the results of the autopsy, said the spokeswoman for the prosecution.
Tragic ending and investigation after the death of an infant
According to information from the APA, the infant no longer had any brain functions at the time of hospital admission. On Tuesday the devices were switched off and the boy died. The responsible police station notified the State Criminal Police Office, where officers from the southern branch began the investigation.
According to the state police department, the mother and 29-year-old father of the child who died are in shock and have not yet been interviewed. The couple is unlikely to have appeared to the police yet. The Vienna Child and Youth Welfare Department (Magistrate Department MA 11) was informed.
We found out about the case on Monday from the Vienna General Hospital – where the mother had brought the baby – said a spokeswoman for MA 11 in response to an APA request. The Liesinger family was not unknown to child and youth welfare services, but not because of violence or mistreatment towards children. The couple therefore has a two-year-old child who does not live together but is likely to be in a serious relationship. In March 2023, the parents turned to a child and youth welfare family center for support with financial matters. The contact lasted until the beginning of May.
Stable accommodation and family support for the well-being of the child
The two-year-old child was presented to a focus group at the General Hospital, which determined that the girl was doing well given the circumstances. It was initially placed with crisis foster parents, where it was well received – including by their own offspring – and immediately encouraged to play. The child and youth welfare service is looking into the family’s environment as it proceeds, for example whether close relatives such as uncles and aunts can look after the child, said the spokeswoman. The toddler also spent a night with an aunt. The parents – apparently on the advice of their legal representation – did not appear for a discussion about what to do with the toddler at MA 11.
In this context, the MA-11 spokeswoman appealed to parents to contact child and youth welfare services for support immediately if they feel or show signs of being overwhelmed or just overtired. The service telephone is available at 01-4000-8011, available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
2024-02-08 17:30:54
#Vienna #Threemonthold #infant #dies #shaken #baby #syndrome
