An indictment is expected to be filed against a kindergarten principal, 67, from Rehovot, along with a foreign caregiver from his establishment, suspected of causing grievous bodily harm to a seven-month-old baby when they forgot him in a car for 4.5 hours during intense heat, which reached temperatures of up to 50oC.
A police investigation revealed that after realizing the baby was in the car, the two prevented him from receiving medical care and did not update his parents on his condition.
For over 2 hours, the principal and the caregiver whom he had tasked with handling the toddler attempted to handle the situation themselves, exacerbating the severe brain damage already done to the baby.
Security footage revealed that during the two hours in which they waited, the principal unsuccessfully attempted to give the baby a bottle of formula, while the caregiver flipped the baby on his stomach, tapping on his back and pouring water over his head (a possible asphyxiation risk), before slapping the baby's face before attempting chest compressions.
The footage also revealed that the baby had been accidentally left in a van used to transport children to and from the kindergarten each day, before the principal noticed him by chance, four-and-a-half hours later.
The principal reportedly lied to the mother, telling here that the baby merely "didn't feel well" and that he had vomited. Only after the baby had been driven home by the principal, did the parents notice he was unconscious.
When the parents noticed his condition, they evacuated the baby to Kaplan Hospital in the city, where he was hospitalized in a coma, as medical staff scrambled to find out the cause for his condition, leading to an additional delay in treatment.
The suspects' detention was extended as the investigation progressed and an indictment is expected to be served to both the principal and the caregiver.