3-year-old starves to death as mom leaves her at home without food for a week: 'She even ate washing powder'
A mother in Russia went on a partying spree, leaving her three-year-old daughter home alone for a week. The child starved to death, after trying to eat washing powder.
The three-year-old's naked body was found at a rubbish-strewn apartment in the Russian city of Kirov. Authorities said she had consumed a small amount of food, including yogurt, chicken and some sausages. A court was hearing how 21-year-old Maria Plenkina deserted her daughter Kristina, Daily Mail reports. Plenkina had even turned off the water in the flat before leaving for her party week that coincided with Valentine's Day last year.
Kristina's body was ultimately found by her 47-year-old grandmother Irina Plenkina when she came to wish the child happy birthday.
Now, the "evil" mother faces eight to 20 years in jail for the cruel murder of her child.
Plenkina had locked her daughter in the flat from February 13 to February 20, 2019, a criminal investigation into the "murder with extreme cruelty" found. Plenkina was completely "sane" and "fully aware of her actions", psychiatrists told the court. It also came to light that Plenkina was staying with a friend named Anastasia Kurpina, who said Plenkina had lied to her that Kristina was being taken care of by a friend.
Speaking to investigators, Kurpina revealed that she paid for Plenkina's daily visits to nightclubs and cafes, and had bought her alcohol on multiple occasions. That said, Plenkina had split with her boyfriend shortly before her week-long partying spree.
Plenkina confessed to murdering her three-year-old daughter, saying she did not intend to kill her. However, she gave contradictory accounts to support her claims that she left food for little Kristina before leaving.
"I never wanted her to die," the woman said in court, sobbing.
However, a committee spokeswoman revealed how "the girl's mother said she deliberately closed the door of the apartment and left the house," adding that she was "having a good time with friends" and was "on a spree". According to police, the mother did not cry or show regret upon being detained. "She just says in cold blood: 'Yes, I left, I closed off the water and left the child without water and food'," authorities recounted.
Meanwhile, the child's devastated grandmother said if she had known her daughter was leaving, she would have cared for the child herself. "She lied to me that everything was fine," she grimaced, adding that her daughter had "lied to everyone". "I never thought that Maria could do such a thing," she continued, "If only I had spotted something was wrong, I would have taken the girl to me."
According to her, there was never any sign of previous abuse. "She has shown the highest class of professional acting - if you deceive everyone to such an extent," she added.
"I completely did not know my daughter, it turns out," the grandmother went on.