An eight-year-old Ukrainian boy has fallen to his death from a nine-storey apartment building while reportedly trying to escape his alleged abusive parents.
According to The Sun, the boy's parents arrived home to find their son, known only as Anton, had ripped his clothes.
A downstairs neighbour, named only as Zhanna, told local media she heard the couple yelling at Anton.
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"The parents yelled at the boy for ripping his clothes. I also heard them beating him.
"Then everything went quiet and I heard a child's quick footsteps. Several seconds passed and there was that horrific thud when a body hits the ground."
Another neighbour named as Andrey told local media she saw the family go upstairs to their flat.
"Ten minutes later the boy was lying on the ground as his parents were racing downstairs to the street," she said.
Paramedics arrived at the scene and pronounced the boy dead.
The couple reportedly left their apartment after being interviewed by police, and have since fled the town of Enerhodar in southern Ukraine, where the incident occurred.
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The Sun reports that the couple has admitted to beating Anton, and police have begun an investigation into his death.
According to the New York Post, Anton's school principal Oskana Zelenska claimed the boy was neglected.
"The boy fell behind at school and we had to hold him back in the first grade. His parents were not interested in him at all."
Anton's parents remain under investigation for child neglect and could face up to five years in prison if convicted.
Newshub.
