The judicial investigation to determine what happened to the six-week-old who arrived at the Vall d’Hebron Hospital in Barcelona on Wednesday last week with severe injuries does not rule out any origin of the attacks. The investigations have expanded beyond the parents, aged 43 and 42, who have been in provisional prison since last Friday.
The fact that it has been decided to explore any avenue of investigation does not presuppose that the accusation against the parents is ruled out. In their statement, the two parents, a nurse from the same center where the child is now admitted and the factory employee, said they did not know how the events of which they are accused could have occurred.
On Wednesday they were arrested after the child was treated at the , a reference center for the care of minors, where he was transferred from the Sant Pau hospital after the protocol for abuse was activated. The , assured this Thursday that the baby, still admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), is evolving favorably, although this situation does not allow us to rule out that he will be a victim of physical and neurological consequences for the rest of his life. The Prosecutor’s Office has commissioned a large volume of documentation to carry out its investigation, explain sources familiar with the proceedings, so it is foreseeable that its report will continue over time.
The General Directorate of Prevention and Protection of Children and Adolescence () has assumed parental authority over the child and has prevented any of the child’s relatives from accessing the ICU. However, it is preparing an Extended Family Report, to see if it is possible that a family member can assume guardianship. If this report is negative, a host family who can take care of you will be found. Seat number 1 of the Violence against Children and Adolescents section of the Court of First Instance of Barcelona decided to withdraw parental rights due to the seriousness of the events of the parents, who remain in provisional prison and without bail due to the risk of escape.
Before detecting signs of abuse, the health system treated the baby for different reasons without attracting attention. Born at the beginning of February at the Vall d’Hebron hospital, where his mother worked, the baby passed his first routine check-ups satisfactorily.
Abuse test passed
It was not until a month later, at the beginning of March, when the minor began a journey through various health devices. First due to vomiting and low-grade fever. There, a urine study was performed and a catheter was placed. After six days, the family went to the Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, where they detected a hematoma that coincided with the probe. On March 10, they went to an outpatient clinic in Barcelona and found that the hematoma had spread and they referred her to the Sant Pau Hospital. At the hospital, a blood count and an abuse test were performed, which he passed with apparently normal results.
The alarms went off on March 16. The family returned to Sant Pau due to immobility of the right leg and tests then detected a fracture and an anal tear. The center activated the protocol: the baby was rushed by ambulance to the Vall d’Hebron hospital, where he is currently admitted; while the parents moved in parallel. The neutral reaction of the parents caught the attention of the professionals who treated them.
Upon their arrival at the Barcelona center, they were waiting for them and they proceeded to arrest them. Two days later, on March 18, the judge ordered provisional arrest without bail for both of them, after evaluating the facts and their statements.
