The girl was found crying on the balcony, resulting in PSP detaining the parents, a couple in their late twenties, for child neglect or possible abandonment, after leaving their 3-year-old daughter alone for 14 hours in a dwelling in the parish of Estrela, in Lisbon.
“PSP police received a call reporting that a child was crying on a balcony alone. Unable to contact the residents of the house, the police entered the housing and removed the child, as her physical safety was in danger," explains the PSP Metropolitan Command of Lisbon (Cometlis) in a statement released earlier today.
After engaging in contact with the "visibly frightened" child, the police found that the girl "had no access to food or water and had a red color on her face", indicating "that she had been exposed to sun for some time on the balcony".
The child was later taken to the Dona Estefânia Hospital in Lisbon, and after being discharged, "was sent to a shelter where she has been institutionalized so far," the statement said. "It was later possible to locate the suspects, who are the parents of the child, who during detention and faced with the facts, admitted to leaving the child alone in the room since the early afternoon of Friday, August 23rd, for about 14 hours until she was rescued by police, ", revealed Cometlis, adding that the detention took place at 3:40 am on Saturday.
A police source told the Lusa news agency today that the couple, of Ukrainian nationality, are not residents in Portugal.
The process is now being overseen by the Public Prosecution Ministry.
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