A mother is being investigated by police for refusing to hospitalise her eight-month-old son and giving him vodka to make him sleep so she could party, leading to his death. Mother Nadezhda Yarych allegedly gave her baby son Zakhar vodka to drink so he slept and did not bother her during celebrations over the holiday period in the town of Shebekino in western Russia's Belgorod Oblast region. According to reports, Zakhar had fallen ill and his mother then took him to a local hospital. The doctors reportedly checked the baby, finding he had a viral infection and suggesting hospitalisation but Yarych is said to have refused, saying she preferred to treat the child at home.
Nadezhda reportedly took Zakhar to the hospital four times within a week but refused to hospitalise him every time. Sources close to the family told local media that Yarych refused to hospitalise her son as she did not want to spend the holiday period celebrations in the hospital with her baby. According to the sources, Yarych repeatedly gave Zakhar vodka to drink to make him sleep during the week so she could celebrate. On 5th January, the child died and according to a postmortem examination, the child's death was caused by a viral infection. Police started investigating the mother and her husband Mikhail Yarych, who is the stepfather of her baby and reportedly was aware of the situation but did nothing to help the child. Police have not commented on the matter yet. The investigation is ongoing and no arrests have been reported.
