A woman in Toronto,Canada has been charged with first-degree murder related to the death of her two-year-old son.
Police officers told CBC news that Russom Tesfamar Yordanos had been the one who called called 911 saying that someone was hurt.
When authorities arrived at the apartment, they located the body of the deceased two-year-old boy. Yordanos was arrested at the scene.
Reports said that the toddler had “obvious signs of physical trauma to his body.”
He was later identified as Surfeal Okubazgi.
On Tuesday, December 15, Toronto police announced that the toddler’s mother had indeed been charged with first-degree murder.
What the police know so far
Police suspect that the boy was killed in the apartment.
They concluded that the boy had been left in the apartment and that the woman brought her six-month-old daughter to their lobby to await the ambulance.
Officers later found out that the victim’s father also lived in the building, but was not home at the time the alleged crime took place.
Postpartum depression yet to be confirmed
CBC news reports that postpartum depression may have driven her to inflict physical violence upon her young son, which allegedly led to his tragic death.
Investigators are looking into whether the mother arrested for murder indeed suffered from postpartum depression.
Whether or not it is confirmed that she is suffering from the condition, the charges will still stand and it will be up to the court to make a decision.
Yordanos’ lawyer, Gary Batasar, told CBC news that the suspect is “very shaken by what’s going on.”
He adds, “This is the very beginning of the case, she’s presumed innocent until proven guilty, and we’ll see where the chips fall when they may. Postpartum depression does not fit within the confines of laying a first-degree murder charge. I suspect as the matter travels through the court system, it will not be a first-degree murder charge.”
For more about postnatal depression, read this theAsianparent article.
