Mother suspected of attempted murder after son’s fall from Zutphen balcony
A woman who was arrested after her five-year-old son fell from a balcony in Zutphen is suspected of attempted murder. According to Omroep Gelderland, the boy was released from the hospital on Tuesday and is being assisted by family services.
The mother was remanded into pre-trial detention for two weeks on Thursday, with the investigation ongoing into the events that led to the son’s fall. A three-judge panel can order her detention extended by up to 90 more days during the next public hearing into her case at a district court.
The boy was found severely injured on a grass field behind the flat that he lived in with his mother. The incident happened at 7:30 p.m. last Sunday on the Van Drinenstraat.
Police had already been on the scene earlier in the day after neighbors had called them regarding concerns about the boy’s wellbeing. Police then took the mother and son with them, but they were allowed to return to their home unsupervised hours later, the regional broadcaster reported.
One neighbor said that he heard the mother yelling from the balcony an hour before the incident. “My boy, not me, not anyone,” she allegedly screamed.
Another neighbor told Omroep Gelderland that the woman was known to institutions like Veilig Thuis, which is a center that addresses domestic violence.
"There is a history, we know that. But the most important thing now is that the boy gets better as quickly as possible," Acting Mayor Wimar Jaeger said after the incident.
