Grandmother of severely malnourished 3.5-year-old speaks out: 'How could I have known'

The grandmother of an extremely malnourished 3.5-year-old has broken her silence. She had no idea what was happening to her granddaughter.

As the “Goniec” portal reminds us, all of Poland is following the fate of a 3.5-year-old who was taken to hospital due to extreme malnutrition. The girl weighed only 8 kg. Investigators managed to determine that the parents put the child on a drastic diet consisting of breast milk and grapes. Her grandmother spoke out on the girl's case.

3.5-year-old was starved

On Sunday, December 15, a 3.5-year-old girl was admitted to the hospital in Zielona Góra. The child was unconscious and there was no contact with her. Doctors decided to place the 3.5-year-old in the intensive care unit.

As investigators have determined, the girl's parents were on a restrictive diet. She mainly ate mother's milk and grapes. Doctors gradually introduced hydration and enteral and intravenous feeding. A blood transfusion was also necessary. Although the child's condition has improved slightly, doctors' prognosis is still cautious.

At Wednesday's press conference, Ewa Antonowicz, spokeswoman for the District Prosecutor's Office in Zielona Góra, announced that Magdalena J. and Rafał B. were charged with “creating a disease that is truly life-threatening in the form of multiple organ failure.”

Grandma of 3.5-year-old speaks out

The girl's parents were detained for 48 hours and questioned. The family was also issued a Blue Card. Investigators indicate that the girl's mother is a vegan, and that the draconian diet was dictated by ideological considerations. Investigators added that the family lived in considerable isolation, which meant that few people knew about the child's condition.

“Fakt” reached the girl's grandmother, who lived in the house next door. The woman admitted that she had no idea what was happening to her granddaughter, because she had no contact with her family.

“I have no contact with them. I have not seen my granddaughter. My daughter did not want contact. Since she gave birth, they have cut themselves off completely. I had no idea what condition my granddaughter was in, how could I have known,” she said.

The woman added that her daughter's husband had allegedly used violence against the family. She also added that her daughter is on a fruit-only diet and has introduced the same for her daughter.