Due to severe child abuse, a father and a mother of an infant were arrested in Vienna-Brigittenau on Friday. The baby girl was taken to the hospital shortly before Christmas in critical condition, suffering from severe shaken baby syndrome. The parents provided contradictory statements, prompting police involvement. The State Criminal Police Office took over the investigation on December 20, and the 26-year-old man and 22-year-old woman were arrested yesterday.
The baby is fighting for her life in the hospital. The investigation is being conducted on suspicion of attempted murder, according to police spokesman Philipp Haßlinger.
Parents Claim Five-Year-Old Fell on the Baby
In initial interrogations, the parents claimed that the five-year-old sister fell on the infant, causing the injuries. However, further medical examinations revealed evidence of older injuries in the two-month-old baby. Investigators from the Gradinger team at the Vienna State Criminal Police Office, East Center branch, noted that the severity of the injuries could not be explained by the alleged fall. Additionally, older rib fractures were also detected, according to police spokesman Haßlinger.
Based on these new findings, the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the parents’ arrest, which was carried out yesterday by the criminal police. A hearing of the Syrian father was not possible before his transfer to the prison. The 22-year-old mother, also from Syria, continued to claim during questioning that the baby’s injuries resulted from the sibling’s alleged fall. She was also subsequently taken to a correctional facility.
The Magistrate Department 11 (MA 11), responsible for child and youth welfare, has taken custody of the couple’s three other children in the meantime. They were placed in a crisis center, and one of the younger children was placed with an emergency foster family, said MA 11 spokesperson Ingrid Pöschmann to the APA. Since no relatives could be located, the three children remain under the authority’s care. The children are reportedly in stable condition given the circumstances, said Pöschmann. The case is “deeply concerning,” she added, praising the cooperation with the police. The family was previously unknown to the MA 11. Further investigations, particularly regarding whether violence was also directed against the other children, are ongoing, according to the police.
