Toddler's fall from third floor exposes mother's pattern of neglect
The mother is accused of locking her two daughters in their room overnight, physically abusing the toddler, and leaving them unsupervised. After the fall, the older sister carried the injured child back into the apartment. Prosecutors allege a prolonged history of neglect and violence behind the incident.
A two-and-a-half-year-old toddler fell from the balcony of her home on the third floor in Be'er Sheva after being left unsupervised and accessing the balcony through a door that could not be locked. It was her older sister who found her after the fall, carried her back to the apartment, and only then did the mother learn of the incident.
It has now emerged that the incident was preceded by a prolonged pattern of neglect and violence: the mother frequently locked her two daughters in their room overnight and is accused of attacking the younger child with kicks and slaps.
According to the indictment filed by Adv. Vadim Sigal of the Southern District Attorney's Office, the accused lived in Be'er Sheva with her partner and two daughters, born in 2018 and 2023. The prosecution alleges she repeatedly attacked her younger daughter, causing bodily harm.
It is further alleged that the mother kept the girls locked in their room from evening until morning. In several instances, the girls knocked on the door for long periods to get her to open it, but she remained in her room. The indictment also notes that for several days, the older daughter attacked her younger sister approximately 20 times while the mother failed to intervene.
The most serious incident occurred earlier this month. During renovations, the accused and her partner removed part of the balcony's iron railing to bring in plasterboard, leaving a significant gap. Prosecutors state the mother knew the balcony was not secure and the sliding door could not be locked, yet failed to prevent the children from accessing the area.
While the mother stayed in her room, the girls opened the sliding door and went onto the balcony. About half a minute later, the younger child fell from the third floor. After the fall, the older sister carried her injured sibling back inside. Only after she called out did the mother realize what had happened.
The toddler was hospitalized for 12 days with fractures to her thigh and pelvis, liver damage, and a pneumothorax.
The indictment charges the mother with assaulting a minor by a person responsible, child neglect, false imprisonment, and leaving a child without supervision. The case was investigated by the Be'er Sheva police.
