Russian Children’s Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov demanded on Monday an investigation of the death a Russian boy who died in a house fire in Nebraska.
Nine-year old Anton Fomin adopted by U.S. parents in 2008, died in a house fire in the village of Davey, Nebraska, on Thursday. His charred body was found in the basement. Anton's foster parents told investigators they returned to their home to find it completely engulfed in flames, the JournaStar news web portal reported.
On Saturday, an autopsy was conducted on the boy’s body. Mike Williams, president of Wyuka Funeral Home and Cemetery, which is handling the boy’s funeral, later confirmed that the autopsy had been completed but said he could not release an official cause of death. U.S. Investigators continue to look into the cause of the fire.
“This death raises many questions because it is a serious violation of the U.S. legislation that prohibits leaving a child who is under 14 years of age alone,” Astakhov said.
“Either the boy was punished [and for that reason was remaining in the basement during the fire] or he was neglected and got into the basement accidentally. Why the boy was locked [in the basement] and why he could not get out – we will ask the U.S. attorneys about this.”
Astakhov emphasized he has already asked the Russia Foreign Ministry to press the U.S. attorneys for answers.
