According to the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Agency (VTAĮT), the agency decided to remove the infant and six other children from an Ukmerģe family on July 27 due to the critical condition of the two-month-old baby, who had been admitted to a hospital in critical condition and insufficiently nourished. The case sparked intense public scrutiny on social media after reports claimed authorities had moved to take a deceased child from grieving parents.
Agency Explains Timeline of Ukmerģe Child Removal Decision
Vilnius Region Child Rights Department Head Lina Barajauskiene detailed the chronology during a press conference on Thursday, stating that officials learned of the infant’s death on Sunday, July 28, a day after the protection order was issued on July 27. According to VTAĮT, medical professionals previously alerted child rights defenders when the two-month-old baby was admitted to a hospital in critical condition and insufficiently nourished.
“The separation of a child from parents is a decision made only in extreme cases,” L. Barajauskiene said during the briefing. She noted that the agency had known the family since 2018 following prior reports regarding inadequate health care, and that the Ukmerģe Social Services Center previously attempted to assist the household with difficulties in cooperation.
Parents and Neighbors Voice Divergent Accounts
The infant’s father, Mintauts, told the Baltic news portal LRT that the child suffered from congenital Patau syndrome, a genetic condition preventing normal feeding and causing extreme weight loss, a cleft palate, underdeveloped eyes, and heart defects. Mintauts explained that the family fed the baby with a pipette at home during the first month to maintain quality of life, contacting Kaunas clinics when the infant failed to gain weight.
Conversely, a local neighbor who withheld her name told LRT that the baby’s appearance from birth suggested a need for immediate medical intervention. The neighbor expressed concern that the parents delayed hospitalization, stating, “Spéding from their lifestyle, they didn’t go to the hospital, didn’t visit doctors during pregnancy, and gave birth at home.”
Did you know? Patau syndrome (Trisomy 13) is a severe genetic disorder where infants rarely survive past the first few months of life, requiring specialized medical palliative care to manage symptoms and ease discomfort.
Status of Surviving Children and Ongoing Negotiations
Data compiled by LRT indicates the family includes six other children ranging from ages 3 to 17, originating from multiple relationships. Three children belong to the current marriage, two older children share a different biological father, and another child has a father reportedly living abroad.
L. Barajauskiene emphasized that the agency remains open to dialogue, urging the parents to cooperate and seek assistance alongside legal representatives. “If they simply contact us and express a desire to seek solutions, we are ready to come,” she said, adding that court action for removal could be avoided if an agreement is reached to ensure the remaining children’s safety and welfare.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did child rights authorities decide to remove the children?
According to VTAĮT, the removal order stems from an accumulation of circumstances threatening the children’s safety, emotional security, development, and health, compounded by the critical condition of the hospitalized infant.
What is Patau syndrome?
Patau syndrome, or Trisomy 13, is a serious genetic condition characterized by severe physical abnormalities, feeding difficulties, and a typically short life expectancy for affected infants.
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