Parents arrested after 7-year-old daughter dies weighing only 18 pounds
Emaciated girl admitted to hospital without vital signs; police suspect neglect and abuse; parents give conflicting accounts of her treatment, have no criminal record
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
The parents of a 7-year-old girl were arrested on suspicion of abuse and neglect after their daughter was declared dead at a hospital where she was admitted in an emaciated state, police said Tuesday.
The girl, an only child from an unnamed community near Ramle, was hospitalized at Shamir Medical Center on Sunday weighing only eight kilograms (18 pounds), and without vital signs, police said. Her body was later taken to Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for a post-mortem examination.
It was unclear who took the girl to the hospital.
Police said they launched an investigation and detained the parents, in their 30s. During questioning, they gave conflicting accounts of their treatment of the girl, according to Hebrew media reports.
The couple appeared to lead a normal lifestyle and did not have a criminal record, according to police. There were no previous complaints about the parents and their treatment of their daughter.
The Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court on Monday extended police custody of the suspects until Thursday.
