Mother confesses to death of baby in Chulumani and surrenders remains after concealing them
A 25-year-old woman voluntarily turned herself in to police in Chulumani and confessed to the death of her seven-month-old daughter. The body was found hidden beneath the stairs of a building in La Paz.
Mother surrenders in Chulumani and confesses to death of her seven-month-old daughter
A 25-year-old woman presented herself voluntarily to police in Chulumani, in the Yungas region, to confess to the death of her seven-month-old baby and to cooperate in locating her remains. According to lapatria.bo, the death occurred on 21 September at a rented residence in the Munaypata area of La Paz city.
Defence lawyer Mónica Irusta explained that the mother, after having consumed alcoholic beverages, fed the child, covered her with a blanket and arranged her to rest. Hours later, upon noticing that the baby was no longer breathing, and overwhelmed by panic, she placed the body beneath the stairs of the building. She subsequently travelled to Chulumani, where she finally decided to surrender to the authorities.
Irusta emphasised that her client does not seek to evade her responsibility before the courts, but stressed that the specific circumstances of the incident must be clarified within the framework of the ongoing investigation.
The father of the children, who is acting as the complainant in the criminal proceedings, strongly questions the care provided to the infant. According to Erbol, he demands that the circumstances of the omission or negligence that led to the death be determined with precision, and demands that the full force of the law be applied given the seriousness of the concealment of the body.
The case also reveals an underlying situation of social vulnerability. The defendant was responsible for another child of four years old and was experiencing economic hardship that was compounded, a situation which the defence attributes to the absence of financial contributions for maintenance from the father of the children, who later took on the role of complainant.
Specialists in social work and family dynamics point out that environments of extreme economic pressure, combined with the lack of institutional and family support networks, frequently place primary carers — mostly women alone — in limiting situations of emotional exhaustion and isolation, which increases the risks of child protection failures.
The judicial authorities are evaluating the degree of criminal responsibility and the socioeconomic context surrounding the case. The defence and various protection bodies have also expressed concern about the situation in which the four-year-old child finds himself, who could be left unprotected following these events.
Source: Google News BO — La Paz