The 11-year-old boy induced to eat a gecko by his stepmother and her mother continues to feel “very ill”, according to his mother, Raquel Vieira. A week after being discharged from hospital, after being hospitalized for three days, the child continues to complain of stomach pains, diarrhea and weakness.
As stated by Raquel, the Civil Police of Goiás (PCGO), which is investigating the case, requested that the child undergo a forensic examination. The initiative was taken after a police report was registered by the boy’s mother at the 2nd Formosa Police Station, denouncing the case.
“He has been taking medication prescribed by the doctor. He feels the pain, takes the medicine and eases it. However, when the effect wears off, he becomes ill again. Now, my boy will undergo a criminal examination and, later, if the case persists, I will return with him to a health unit so that the tests can be redone”, said Raquel.
To Metrópoles, the little one’s mother informed that everything happened during the weekend of November 4th and 5th, the date on which the child stayed at his father’s house.
According to her, her son’s stepmother and her ex-husband’s current mother-in-law gave the animal to the youngest to eat. “The next day, my boy started to feel very sick. That’s when he told my grandmother what had happened”, declared Raquel.
In the report, the mother said that the child began to have “incessant vomiting” throughout the week due to ingesting the gecko, which is why the family sought out an Emergency Care Unit (UPA). After the consultation, however, the family was “sent” back home. The same behavior by the health teams was repeated a second time.
As the boy deteriorated significantly, his mother insisted on treatment. On November 11, the boy was diagnosed with a serious intestinal infection and had to be hospitalized in serious condition.
According to the woman, the information given by her son was confirmed by the child’s father in conversations on WhatsApp. In the dialogues, the man said that he was not there when the incident happened. He had left and left the boy in the care of his partner and current mother-in-law.
As reported by the mother, the boy underwent monitoring, exams and procedures to prevent his condition from worsening. Due to the situation, a police report was registered.
Investigation
According to PCGO, the child had been induced by his stepmother’s mother to eat the animal. According to investigations, the woman — who is the current mother-in-law of the child’s father — told the boy that, when she was younger, she ate gecko to avoid going hungry.
By November 16, four people had been interviewed by the police. The statements indicate that, after the boy’s stepmother’s mother said that she ate geckos when she was younger, he and a friend hunted four geckos and gave them to the woman.
In a statement to PCGO, the child’s father’s current mother-in-law said she cleaned the animals, added lemon and fried food for the boys, “without any bad intentions”.
Now, investigators from the 1st Formosa Police Station are awaiting the results of the forensic exams to understand whether the boy became ill after ingesting the gecko or for another reason.
The police will also check whether the child’s father’s mother-in-law acted with the intention of intoxicating the boy or not.
