Gender Partners Provide Update on Death of Two-Year-Old Following Alleged Sexual Penetration

A team of Gender and Child Protection partners has broken its silence on the tragic death of a two-year-old girl in Koidu Town, providing an update on the condition of the bereaved family and the ongoing police investigation into an alleged sexual penetration that led to the child's demise.

The update was issued on Wednesday following a high-level follow-up visit by the partners to the Tankoro Police Division and the victim's family home on Sandor Street.

According to the information gathered by the partners during their engagement with the Family Support Unit (FSU) and the Local Unit Commander (LUC), the sequence of events leading to the discovery of the child's body has been established. Police confirmed that the family first reported the toddler missing on Tuesday after she absconded from home. Officers had immediately advised the family to utilize local radio stations for an emergency announcement.

The situation escalated fatally on Wednesday morning when the family returned to the station—this time with the child's remains claiming she was found dead at the back of their residence. This prompted the formal police complaint now under investigation.

Following the visit, the Gender Partners confirmed that a 20-year-old male suspect is currently in police custody assisting with the investigation, while the body of the child has been deposited at the city morgue.

However, the primary focus of the partners' update was on the welfare of the family. During their visit, the team successfully engaged the mother of the deceased child and other relatives, providing immediate psychosocial counseling to help them navigate the trauma of the loss.

"We have provided her with psychosocial counseling, and this support will continue into next week," a representative of the gender partners confirmed.

The partners have vowed to maintain close contact with the FSU as the investigation proceeds, promising further updates as more details emerge in this distressing case