Rodica Radita and her husband Emil are facing first-degree murder charges for the death of their 15-year-old son Alex.
“The immediate cause of death was a bacterial sepsis from the complications of neglect and starvation due to type 1 diabetes,” said S/Sgt Grant Miller of the Calgary Police.
The Calgary teen was found dead in his home back in May. Alex was home schooled and did not have a family doctor. Police say his parents failed to provide him with the necessary treatment, but they don’t believe it was based on religious beliefs.
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“This boy has suffered from long-term neglect to the point that he was unable to seek medical attention on his own,” said Miller.
The family used to live in Surrey B.C., where Alex was hospitalized for diabetes complications.
Surrey RCMP investigated in 2003, and while no charges were laid, Alex was removed from his home by the Ministry of Children and Families. According to court documents, the parents did not trust the authorities regarding their son’s diabetes diagnosis.
Despite a social worker’s concerns, a judge ruled it was safe to return Alex, who was five years old at the time, to his parents.
“We’ve had contacts with agencies in British Columbia and we’re aware of this family’s contact with them several years ago, between 10 and 15 years ago,” said Miller. “And from that, that is included in part of our investigation.”
“It most definitely could have been stopped before, and when you care for a child or a loved one and they’re sick, you need to take them to the doctor.”
– With files from Rumina Daya
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