Three-year-old girl murdered in Villa La Angostura: father detained in police custody
A three-year-old girl died after being attacked with a sharp weapon in Villa La Angostura. Her father, Carlos Arias, remains hospitalised under police custody as the main suspect.
Father investigated for murder of his three-year-old daughter in Villa La Angostura
According to lafolkargentina.com.ar, a three-year-old girl was murdered on Saturday afternoon in a residential property on Avenida Siete Lagos in Villa La Angostura, Neuquén. The main suspect is her father, Carlos Arias, aged 36, who remains hospitalised with a guarded prognosis under constant police custody after inflicting wounds to his own neck.
The incident occurred at approximately 18:30. The girl's mother and the child had travelled from Lamarque, Río Negro, to visit Arias, who was living in that property temporarily for work-related reasons.
According to the preliminary reconstruction by the Public Prosecutor's Office, at a certain point an assault against the woman took place. In that context, Arias allegedly seized a sharp weapon and attacked his own daughter. The girl suffered extremely serious injuries and died inside the property. The mother managed to leave the house and call for help; she subsequently received psychological support and care. The Prosecutor's Office reported that the woman did not present serious physical injuries.
Following the attack, Carlos Arias inflicted stab wounds to his own neck. He was initially transferred to a health centre in Villa La Angostura and subsequently referred to Hospital Dr. Ramón Carrillo in San Martín de los Andes due to the severity of his condition. His condition currently prevents the hearing for the filing of charges from proceeding.
One of the central points of the investigation is to establish why the man attacked his own daughter. The principal hypothesis being analysed by the Public Prosecutor's Office holds that the murder was intended to cause suffering to the child's mother, within the context of the conflict the couple maintained.
Based on that hypothesis, prosecutor Adrián De Lillo is preparing a charge of doubly qualified murder: for the relationship between the accused and the victim, and for the alleged intention to cause suffering to his former partner. The hypothesis will need to be supported by the evidence incorporated into the case file.
The investigation is headed by prosecutor De Lillo, together with legal assistant Ramiro Amaya and chief prosecutor Gastón Ávila. One of the elements that also forms part of the investigation is that there were no previous reports of domestic violence or family violence between the couple.
The Prosecutor's Office ordered the autopsy of the child to be performed and a search of the property where the murder occurred. The investigators are seeking to seize the sharp weapon that was allegedly used in the attack, as well as mobile phones, articles of clothing and other items that would allow the sequence of events to be reconstructed. Statements from possible witnesses and various examinations of the scene are also continuing.
The courts will have to determine how the assault began, what happened inside the property, and whether the evidence gathered confirms the hypothesis regarding the motive for the crime.
Source: Google News AR — Crime