The sister of Raul, a nine-year-old Romanian boy who was killed and dumped near a harbour in Ghent in April, has been placed in a juvenile institution.
This development comes as part of an ongoing investigation into the child's death, Sudinfo reports. Reliable sources have revealed that the victim's younger sister was questioned again after accusations were made by the boy's mother and her ex-boyfriend that the girl had assaulted her brother.
New allegations resurface amid ongoing investigation
On 13 April, authorities discovered Raul's body in Ghent's Houtdok, concealed within a sports bag filled with stones.
Speculation suggests the body had been there since late January.
Authorities immediately arrested Raul's mother, Yoana M., 34, on several charges including involuntary manslaughter, inflicting bodily harm, and improper disposal of the body. Yoana initially denied guilt, attributing the crime to her ex-partner.
Nicu C., the mother's ex-boyfriend, was subsequently apprehended in Bakel, the Netherlands, on 14 April. Facing identical charges as Yoana, Belgium extradited Nicu on April 25. Like Yoana, he first denied involvement.
Further questioning thereafter implicated implicated the young girl in the brother's maltreatment. The aftermath led to further questioning of Raul's sister, whose statements remain undisclosed. The youth court subsequently placed her in a juvenile institution.
Investigations continue to determine the sister's role in the tragedy. An autopsy on the boy, who had been submerged for a significant duration, left the cause of death inconclusive.
Raul's grandmother told Romanian press that the boy could have died from a blow to the head with a thermos, allegedly delivered by his mother - a claim she said the sister reported.
During later questioning, the mother confessed that the sister struck Raul with the thermos, but refuted that the blow was fatal. The ex-boyfriend echoed this narrative, maintaining his innocence.
There are unanswered questions about whether the pair aims to shift blame onto the sister.
The East Flanders prosecutor's office remains quiet about the case, and neither confirms the sister's institutionalisation.
