Prosecutors conclude infant’s death in Kaunas district was accidental

The Lithuanian Prosecutor’s Office has closed a pre-trial investigation into the death of a one-year-old child in Kaunas district, ruling it an accident with no criminal wrongdoing, LRT reports.

Prosecutors determined that the infant, found unresponsive in a home on February 23, died as a result of an “unfortunate accident” after being left briefly unattended by older children. Emergency services attempted resuscitation but were unable to revive the child.

According to the investigation, the 16-year-old sibling and two younger children were present when the incident occurred. The older children had left the infant alone in a room for approximately 10 minutes. Lithuanian law permits children under six to be left in the care of those aged 14 or older for short periods in a safe environment.

Prosecutors found no evidence of negligence by the mother, who had left the children with the 16-year-old while she briefly stepped out. The teen alerted both the mother and emergency services after discovering the incident and followed instructions to attempt resuscitation until medics arrived.

Though the criminal investigation has been dropped, prosecutors have referred the case to the State Child Rights Protection Service to assess whether parental responsibilities were fulfilled in accordance with child welfare laws.