Saturday January 28, 2023 | 4:30 p.m.
This Friday a tragedy shocked the town of Castelli in the province of Chaco. An 86-year-old man approached the wall of the adjoining house and, seeing that his neighbors were sleeping in the patio, he threw fuel and then set the mattress on fire. The attack killed a three-month-old baby and his mother, a 20-year-old girl, suffered severe burns.
After carrying out the attack, the assailant, identified as Antonio González, returned to his house, sprayed everything with fuel and tried to commit suicide by setting himself on fire. Neighbors notified the local fire department. And when the personnel arrived at the house located in Chacra 108, they found the defendant and the mother of the minor alive, while the baby had extremely serious burns.
The three involved in the fatal episode were immediately transferred to the Bicentennial Hospital in Chaco, where the death of the 3-month-old baby was certified. According to the first medical report, the minor’s mother was hospitalized under observation and the attacker received intravenous treatment for having suffered “burns of the Auricular Pavilion.”
At the moment, it is unknown if there were complaints of conflicts between the neighbors, which naturally does not warrant an outcome of this nature. Police sources confirmed to TN that the old man was detained. “However, due to his age, when the process progresses, he will be granted house arrest,” they said.
Prosecutor Gerónimo Roggero was in charge of the case and, in addition to requesting the apprehension of the 86-year-old man, he requested the transfer of the minor to the judicial morgue of the Roque Sáenz Peña Presidency to perform the autopsy. Also, personnel from the Scientific Cabinet intervened who carried out expertise in the area.
Both the skills at the scene and the autopsy could offer more details about how the episode unfolded and thus be able to determine if the 86-year-old man acted alone or had an accomplice in his attack.
