Circumstances of 7-Year-Old's Death in Surenavan Revealed

The Investigation Committee of the Republic of Armenia has established the full circumstances surrounding the death of a 7-year-old resident of Surenavan. Earlier, it was reported that on December 6, 2023, at 09:23 AM, the body of the boy was found in the area of the community club in Surenavan.

According to the preliminary investigation initiated in connection with the incident, it was revealed that on that day, around 08:30 AM, while on his way to the local secondary school, the boy and his friends were approached by five stray dogs in front of the Culture House. Fearing an attack from the dogs, the children tried to cross in front of the Culture House quickly to avoid being chased. During this rush, the boy slipped on the tiled surface, fell face-first to the ground, hit his head on the roadside strip, and died.

During the inspection of the scene, no traces of blood were found, and it was determined that no one had pushed the child, nor had anyone been running alongside him while he was escaping from the dogs. There was also no one near him at the moment of the fall. Witnesses were interrogated, and no wounds or traces were found on the child's body. A forensic examination of the body was assigned, and it concluded that the cause of death was traumatic swelling of the brain and spinal cord, resulting from closed, blunt cranio-cerebral and spinal injuries, which could have occurred under the described circumstances.

Given that the child's death was not the result of another person's actions but rather an accident, it was decided to terminate the criminal proceedings. However, in the context of determining the conditions and causes contributing to the alleged crime, the issue of managing stray dogs in the area has also been examined.

It has been discovered that there is a buildup of garbage behind the local school, where stray dogs are almost constantly present. On the day of the incident, the dogs followed the children, and this is not an isolated phenomenon. The animals can also be found near kindergartens and different sections of the village, often preventing people from leaving their homes due to the large number of dogs in the area.

Investigation materials have revealed that no appropriate and necessary measures were taken regarding the regular removal of accumulating garbage behind the school and preventing littering in that area. Furthermore, although a tender was announced by the community to provide services for the sterilization and removal of stray animals, and a winning company has been recognized, the measures taken in this direction have been evidently insufficient.

In light of the above, the investigator has submitted a request to the community leader to discuss the need to address the shortcomings and deficiencies, organize work in the specified directions, improve control mechanisms over these issues, and take responsibility measures against any officials who have been negligent in their duties in compliance with the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Armenia.