Armenian stepmother charged over attempted killing of toddler

Armenian authorities have charged a woman with attempted murder after subjecting her one-year-old stepson to prolonged abuse and attempting to take his life.

The Prosecutor General’s Office told Panorama.am that the child suffered repeated physical violence between 22 January and 10 March. On 15 March, the woman reportedly made a deliberate attempt on his life. The following day, the boy was admitted to Yerevan’s Arabkir Medical Centre in a state of clinical death.

Doctors were able to revive him, but he remains in critical condition.

Prosecutors have launched criminal proceedings on charges of inflicting severe pain on a minor and attempting to murder a helpless person. A motion has been filed to place the suspect in pre-trial detention.

The Investigative Committee confirmed that a criminal case has been opened and that the child’s stepmother has been detained.

According to Sputnik Armenia, the boy’s biological mother resides in Masis, in Ararat Province, and has three other children – two currently in foster care and one living with their grandmother. The victim had recently been living with his father and stepmother in Yerevan’s Arabkir district.