Family questioned over 'tortured' child
A nine-year-old boy died after being severely beaten and tied to his bed in eastern France, police said.
Several family members, including his parents, were in custody yesterday.
Police said the boy suffered through “torture and barbaric acts”.
Authorities believe he was beaten and tied to a bed in his family’s apartment in Strasbourg, with his feet bound and his arms fastened behind his back.
The child, whom authorities identified as Nicolas H., was discovered at home on Saturday in cardiac arrest, with bruises covering his body and face, police said.
Paramedics revived the boy, and he was brought to the city’s Hautepierre hospital. He died of brain haemorrhaging on arrival, police said.
The boy’s parents told doctors he had fallen down the stairs.
The child’s mother and father, as well as an uncle and grandmother, were taken in for questioning.
Their names were not released.
The other children in the family, aged six, 11 and 12, were placed in a shelter, authorities said.
