Varna: Woman Accused of Killing Baby Remanded in Custody

The 33-year-old woman accused of killing a one-year-old boy in Varna has been remanded in custody permanently after a court hearing. Alexandrina Toteva was brought to the courthouse in handcuffs, while the court rejected her defense’s request for the proceedings to be held behind closed doors.

Toteva denied killing the child and told the magistrates that she regretted that he had fallen. She also insisted that she had not been paid to care for the boy, saying she was close to his family and had looked after the child before.

According to the forensic medical examination, the boy died from an extremely severe head injury accompanied by multiple bruises. Prosecutors argued that the injuries could not have been caused by a single fall onto the floor.

The prosecution also said the forensic examination indicated that the child had been dead for at least two days before his body was discovered.

Toteva’s previous criminal record also emerged during the proceedings. She had received a suspended sentence for driving under the influence of drugs, a circumstance that further influenced the magistrates’ decision to keep her in custody.

The case began on August 30, when the boy’s grandfather contacted police after finding the child helpless in the apartment where he lived with his grandmother and her friend. The friend, Toteva, was subsequently arrested.

Toteva told investigators that she had accidentally dropped the child. Neighbors, meanwhile, told authorities that the two women frequently abused alcohol and were known to have loud arguments.

The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death is continuing.