Police said Thursday they will seek a five day extension of the detention of a caregiver and the director of an unlicensed day care center in Jerusalem where two infants died earlier this week, after investigators upgraded the suspicions against them.
The two women are now suspected not only of causing death by negligence and child neglect, but also of child abuse and assault. The case centers on the deaths of Leah Goloventchitz, 3 months old, and Aaron Katz, 6 months old, who were found unresponsive at the facility three days ago.
Jerusalem day care tragedy: caregivers also suspected of abuse and assault
On Wednesday, the suspects appealed to the Jerusalem District Court against a decision to extend their detention by three days. Their lawyers argued that blood test results from the infants are expected to take several weeks and that the women cannot influence the results or interfere with the investigation.
Defense attorneys Uri Korb and Sivan Russo said the magistrate’s court rejected police claims that the women posed a danger, but still extended their detention over general concerns about obstruction of justice and the possibility of autopsies — a step later barred by the Supreme Court.
“The two women themselves called emergency services and are fully cooperating with investigators,” the lawyers said. “Now that the autopsies have been canceled, there is no justification for keeping them in custody.”
A police representative told the court he was deeply disturbed by conditions at the scene, describing the day care as a private apartment operating illegally.
“This was an unauthorized operation,” he said. “What I saw showed clear neglect, with none of the basic conditions required to run such a sensitive facility.”
The case triggered widespread protests after a lower court initially approved autopsies to determine the cause of death. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators blocked roads and clashed with police, mainly in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.
Late Tuesday, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned the autopsy decision and ordered the immediate burial of the infants, accepting a petition filed by the ZAKA emergency response organization on behalf of the families. The ruling was issued by Justices Alex Stein, Ruth Ronen and Yechiel Kasher.
Justice Stein wrote that after hearing the parties and consulting with the head of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the court concluded that all necessary examinations could be completed without autopsies and that burial should proceed without unnecessary delay.
The infants were buried Wednesday night.
Preliminary findings from the forensic institute in Abu Kabir found no signs of poisoning. Investigators now believe the deaths were caused by dehydration linked to extreme heat conditions. Rescue teams said an air conditioner was operating on a high heat setting in a closed room where the infants had been placed — a level they said could be dangerous for babies.