Four-year-old boy dead in Chubut causes commotion amid crossed accusations

Prosecutors are investigating the recent death of Ángel L., a four-year-old boy who died under suspicious circumstances in the province of Chubut. Although a murder has not been confirmed, the child’s mother and her partner are the main suspects. However, at press time, they have not been charged. Ángel’s father filed the complaint and claimed that, a month ago, courts had taken custody away from him following a complaint filed by the mother alleging gender-based violence. “Ángel was killed,” the father told the press. “My son always asked for help, but they never did anything. Everyone called me sexist; if it had been the other way around, I’d already be in jail,” he added. The mother rejected the accusations. “I didn’t kill my son. In fact, I protected him and looked out for him,” she said to the press. Details of the tragedy Last Sunday, at a home in the Quintas neighborhood in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia, Ángel’s mother called for help because her son was having trouble breathing. According to her, he had started feeling ill in his room around 7 a.m. Medical personnel and police arrived at the scene, found the boy with no vital signs, and began resuscitation efforts. Minutes later, he was rushed to the Regional Hospital, where he was admitted around 8:35 a.m. and treated in the pediatric emergency room. He was declared dead on Monday night. “No traumatic intervention by the doctors was evident, and there were no signs of violence,” said Cristian Olazábal, who temporarily replaced the prosecutor in the case, in an interview with the TN TV station.  However, he added, upon internal examination, traumatic injuries were found in the child’s skull. Current prosecutor Facundo Oribones said in a press conference on Friday that “investigators are trying to determine whether the injuries were intentional or accidental.” They are awaiting the results of the histopathological report. Since the boy’s mother and her partner were the last people Ángel was with, they are the main suspects. Investigators will need to reconstruct the child’s medical history, as well as the circumstances under which he lived with his mother and the background leading up to the reunification process. Regarding the father, the prosecutor stated: “Preliminary information indicates a conflictive family relationship between the adults, but no violence toward Ángel. We have no record of violence against the child.” The case is currently labeled “Investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a minor,” according to an official communiqué. The father is being assisted by the Prosecutor’s Office’s Victim Assistance Service and has already been in contact with the investigative team assigned to the case.