The cause of death of Ángel Nicolás López, the 4-year-old boy who caused a strong commotion in Comodoro Rivadavia, is undergoing an unusual significant change following the presentation of new forensic reports to the Chubut Justice system.
After weeks in which the investigation focused on a possible homicide linked to physical abuse, some "studies" recently presented indicate that the death may have been the result of a bilateral pneumonia.
This new scenario contradicts the initial hypothesis held by the prosecution, which was based on a preliminary autopsy report indicating that the minor had more than 20 internal injuries to the head.
Ángel López and his biological mother.
Based on that element, the Justice system ordered preventive detention for Mariela Altamirano, the biological mother of the child, and her partner, Maicol González, who remain in custody.
According to reports, the complementary histopathological studies concluded that the death was not the result of a brain trauma caused by third parties, but rather an "acute respiratory infection" that did not receive timely treatment.
This turn significantly alters the framing of the case, which originally pointed to an “aggravated homicide due to the relationship” in the case of the mother, along with an alleged active participation of the stepfather in the assaults.
Based on these new results, the defense of the accused has indicated that they will request their release, arguing that there was no intent to kill or direct physical assaults that caused the minor's death.
Angel López.
The family's response
This new line of investigation has generated a strong controversy and a great rejection from the environment that raised the child during his early years. Luis López, the minor's father, and Lorena Andrade, his “heart mom,” question the conclusion of the expert reports and maintain that the child was a victim of violence.
“Ángel had no illness. Ángel was murdered, and that is known,” Andrade expressed in recent statements, reflecting the pain and firm stance of the family.
Since the beginning of the case, it has been confirmed, with evidence, that the child showed clear signs of abuse since he had been reconnected with his biological mother, a decision made months earlier by order of the Justice system, in a reprehensible ruling driven by a feminist psychologist.
The controversy grows as the case progresses, with an investigation that has changed direction but where there is substantial evidence that Ángel's death cannot be explained by natural causes.
