Hundreds attend the funeral of the infant that drowned to death in Ashdod, in Jerusalem, on April 5, 2018. Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90
Jerusalem – The mother of the baby who drowned in a jacuzzi in a hotel in Ashdod earlier this month is suspected of murdering her son.
According to media reports on Sunday, the 28-year-old mother said in a police questioning that she had experienced a “divine revelation,” in which she believed she was told to baptize the baby.
She reportedly dipped him three times in the water, and on the last time, expected him to rise on his own – as she was expecting to see a miracle in which her son would come out from the water “as a man.”
But the father, whose lawyer claimed he had nothing to do with the baby’s death, was released from detention Sunday, and police are reportedly reconsidering the case against him.
Attorneys Michael Buskila and Shani Farjoun, who represent the mother, told the media that “as the investigation is processing, a wider image can be seen… and this is definitely a hard and sad story, and not only because of its tragic outcome.
“Since day one, when we met our client, we could see that her state of mind is unbalanced and that it requires an immediate, thorough examination,” they continued.
It was later reported that the district psychiatrist said that she is not qualified to stand a trial due to her mental situation and that she is not responsible for her acts.
Hailing from the Beit Shemesh area, near Jerusalem, they were vacationing in an Ashdod hotel during the Passover holiday when the incident took place.
When the case first broke earlier this month, a haredi outcry was sparked when the court approved to carry out an autopsy on the baby’s body, and protests were held in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.