Dead baby may have been sexually abused

Dead baby may have been sexually abused

JAKARTA (JP): Physicians believe an 18-month-old boy who died
yesterday morning at Harapan Bunda Hospital in East Jakarta may
have been sexually abused.

An autopsy showed the anus of the child, identified as John
Ade, was dilated and it was surrounded by bruises.

The child lived on Jl. Gedong in East Jakarta.

Hospital pediatrician Dr. Indra Sugiarno said John may have
died from an illness brought about by the suspected molestation.

Dr. Agung Prayitno from the intensive care unit of the
hospital said John was admitted to the hospital about 9 p.m.
Thursday.

Preliminary diagnosis in the emergency unit was for diarrhea
and meningitis.

"John's body was stiff. He also had a high temperature. As he
did not stop his convulsions, we sent him to the intensive care
unit.

"We did our best, but he died this morning," Agung told The
Jakarta Post by phone.

When bathing the body, he noticed the unusual signs around the
anus.

He asked Indra, who is in charge of pediatrics for the
intensive care unit, for a second opinion.

"I believe that the illness that led him to his death might
have been due to injuries caused by repeated sexual abuse," Indra
told reporters at a separate occasion yesterday.

He added that doctors at the hospital had informed both John's
parents and the local Ciracas police about the indications of
molestation.

But police officers, he said, had not started the
investigation yet.

"There has been no direct response from the officers to
investigate this case," he said.

Nurses, Indra said, cried when he revealed his suspicion of
abuse.

"He was a naturally very healthy boy," Indra said. (ivy)