The secret of the ingredient: what poisoned a family in Krasnoyarsk Krai
Law enforcement authorities are considering several versions of the tragic poisoning in Krasnoyarsk Krai, where four children from a large family died. In particular, they include products that did not meet safety requirements, which the mother could have bought in a store, pesticides in the food, or poisoning with products from her own homestead. The Investigative Committee has opened a case of poisoning by an unidentified substance (part 3 of Article 238 of the Criminal Code), law enforcement agencies are checking the store, pesticides and antibiotic for livestock seized from the family. Lawyers interviewed by "Izvestia" note that both the manufacturer and seller of dumplings, parents and medics may be held liable.
What poisoned a family in Krasnoyarsk region
A family of six people living in the village of Krasnaya Sopka, Krasnoyarsk region, was hospitalized on September 21. This was reported in the Department of the Investigative Committee for Krasnoyarsk Krai and Khakassia. On the same day, a six-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy died, the next day an 11-year-old girl died, and on the night of September 23 - a 12-year-old girl.
The parents were hospitalized in serious condition, were in intensive care for some time, now they have recovered. The mother is nine months pregnant.
On Monday, September 23, both parents testified. The woman told investigators that in the morning of September 20 , boiled dumplings, which were eaten by her, her husband and two children. They were also cooked for lunch by the children on their own. In the evening, the woman and her husband had dinner of chicken and potatoes, and the children had dumplings again. A few hours later, all members of the family became ill: first the younger ones complained of feeling ill, then signs of intestinal disorder appeared in the adults.
According to preliminary data of forensic medical examination, which was reported by the regional IC, the death of children occurred due to the toxic effect of an unspecified substance. Now a chemical examination is being carried out.
Versions of the investigation
The IC initiated a case of poisoning by an unidentified substance (part 3 of article 238 of the Criminal Code). Law enforcement authorities are now considering at least three versions of the incident.
The first one is poisoning by products, which the family members had consumed as food. The Department of Rosselkhoznadzor for Krasnoyarsk region reports that veterinary requirements were violated in the store "Olymp" in the village of Krasnaya Sopka, where the dumplings were bought. According to the agency, the store sold dumplings produced by LLC "Factory of semi-finished products "Vdobo", which is located in Khakassia. But veterinary documents for six batches of dumplings were issued only on September 23, 2024.
"For 2024, only 41 veterinary accompanying documents (VDD) were issued to the store for products of animal origin. According to the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that the main volume of products came to the store without accompanying veterinary documents," - reported in the Telegram-channel of the department.
Investigators have been instructed to find people who bought similar products and find out whether they had health complaints, as well as to check the volume of products sold, Deputy Prosecutor of Krasnoyarsk Krai Evgeny Mostovoy told reporters.
In addition to product poisoning, the version with ingestion of pesticides is also being considered. According to Izvestia's source close to the investigation, the family could have been poisoned by pesticides, having confused them with seasoning. At the disposal of "Izvestia" were shots of a package of pesticides found in the house. This is a light-colored substance in a polymer bag without markings, which was in the kitchen cupboard, it has now been seized. A livestock antibiotic stored in the refrigerator has also been seized.
In addition, plant pesticides, which were lying on the floor in the apartment, are being investigated. However, during the interrogation, the mother said that she added the seasoning only to the chicken, but not to the dumplings eaten by the children. She added salt to the dumplings.
According to Yevgeny Mostovoy, the version about poisoning by products of their own farm is also being worked out.
- When studying the video from the store, the purchase of chicken meat is not confirmed. Therefore, the question of appointment of veterinary examination of pets and feed is being considered, - said the Deputy Prosecutor of Krasnoyarsk Krai.
The brother of the father of the family in a conversation with Izvestia confirmed that the victims preferred "their own, homemade meat".
Andrei Yakushev, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist, suggested that the cause of the adults' indisposition and the children's deaths could have been food toxoinfection. According to him, the pathogen, which led to poisoning, was most likely introduced into the food during its production. And children, he said, could not be saved, as they have a faster infection process.
- Children get dehydrated faster, their blood pressure drops, then kidneys are affected, as their body weight is usually lower than that of adults, which means that they receive a large dose of pathogen, - explained Andrei Yakushev. - In addition to children, in the risk group for food poisoning are the elderly, infants and people with chronic diseases, as their immunity is weaker than that of a healthy adult.
Parents' mental state will be checked
The regional prosecutor's office also checked the house where the family lived. Its condition was recognized as unsatisfactory. Therefore, said Evgeny Mostovoy, the prosecutor's office will check the work of the prevention bodies with the family. The footage from the scene shows walls with torn wallpaper or no wallpaper at all, holes in the linoleum. However, the house has all the necessary appliances, the children have their own beds, shelves for toys, children's corner. In addition, you can see that the kitchen has been recently renovated.
Previously, the family was not in the field of vision of the prevention bodies, said Deputy Prosecutor General. According to him, she lives in her own house, three of the four children attended school, and the spouses were employed. No negative characteristics of the family members were reported to the authorized bodies by the village council administration, education authorities and employers.
Дом, в котором жила семья
In a conversation with Izvestia, the brother of the father of the family characterized the relatives positively. According to him, relations in the family were normal, the children loved their parents.
- A working family, the children are clothed, clothed, clothed, clothed, clothed, clothed, clothed and fed," he said.
The deputy prosecutor said that the nature of relationships in the family, the mental state of adults and children before the tragedy is being established, it is being found out whether the family had credit obligations.
Who can be punished
Chairman of the National Union of Consumer Rights Protection Pavel Shapkin believes that the poisoning could have occurred because of chemicals for insect control.
- Because such products are often treated without special vigilance, the poison could have ended up near the seasonings," he said. - If this is the case, the particular case is egregious and different from classic poisonings such as shawarma. In this case, the cause may be related to the purchase of insect or rodent poisons without proper instructions, the manufacturers themselves often do not warn about the dangers of their products. If control over poisons for insects and rodents is not strengthened, it may lead to much more mass poisonings.
Oleg Pavlov, Chairman of the consumer protection organization Public Consumer Initiative (PCI), said that most food poisonings are related to violations of technical regulations and sanitary rules in the production and sale of food products.
- In some cases, poisonings may occur due to the actions of consumers themselves, who do not observe the conditions of storage and preparation of products, " he believes. - Unfortunately, under the moratorium on inspections, we see an increase in the number of relevant business violations and, accordingly, an increase in the number of victims among consumers.
Oleg Pavlov also noted that consumers do not have the necessary skills to determine the presence of dangerous components in the composition of a product by its appearance.
Article 238 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Production, storage or sale of goods and products that do not meet the safety requirements of life or health of consumers, resulting in the death of two persons by negligence") presupposes punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 10 years.
If the cause of death was the product, the producers and, possibly, thesellers will bear criminal responsibility, said lawyer Andrei Mishonov. He noted that in this case, the parents will be able to recover compensation for property damage of up to Br5 million for the death of each of the four children.
- They also have the right to claim compensation for damage to their health," added Andrei Mishonov.
Medical lawyer Irina Gritsenko suggested that the death of the children could also have been caused by the wrong actions of doctors. According to her, if their guilt is proven, a criminal case will be initiated against the medics.
- Given the death of four children, they could face up to 10 years in prison, " added Irina Gritsenko.
Andrei Mishonov suggested that the children could have been poisoned through the fault of their parents. According to him, if it is proved, the father and mother will be criminally liable under Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Causing death by negligence"). The parents, the expert noted, could face up to two years in prison.
