Spanish police have arrested a 27-year-old Algerian woman in Alicante for allegedly pouring an irritant liquid into the eyes of her 2-year-old son over a period of several months, leaving him partially blind and requiring months of hospital care.
The case came to light after staff at the Doctor Balmis General Hospital grew suspicious of the child’s recurring eye inflammation, which failed to respond to treatment.
As reported by Europa Press, doctors noted that the boy became visibly distressed whenever his mother was present, but calmed down when she was absent. When his mother was removed from contact with him under a court order, his condition rapidly improved.
The child had been hospitalized since August and was discharged only recently, now living with a foster family under protective custody.
Medical specialists concluded that the injuries were not caused by illness but by “human action,” prompting hospital administrators to alert the authorities, who later opened the investigation that led to the woman’s arrest.
The suspect also has a 7-year-old daughter born in Algeria, who is now totally blind, with authorities investigating whether the mother was also responsible for the rapid deterioration in her daughter’s vision.
The woman is suspected of suffering from a psychiatric condition known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which involves a caregiver deliberately causing symptoms in someone under their care to gain attention or sympathy.
According to the police investigation, the woman arrived in Alicante in February 2020 with her daughter, who was already experiencing severe vision loss before later being declared blind. Two Algerian medical reports confirmed that her condition was irreversible, and the child received further treatment in Spain.
While in Alicante, the woman had another child with a 44-year-old Algerian man who has lived in Spain for more than two decades. In 2023, she contacted police, saying she wished to surrender her two children because she was unable to care for them after separating from her partner. Both parents were briefly detained for suspected child abandonment, and the siblings were placed in temporary state care before the mother was later reunited with them. It is unclear why the mother was granted custody of the children.
In January of this year, the boy was again admitted to the hospital with severe keratoconjunctivitis. Medical staff later determined that his recurring injuries were caused by exposure to an irritant substance rather than infection.
A judicial restraining order against the mother was issued, and investigators say the child’s eyesight began to recover once contact with his mother ceased.
The National Police said the investigation remains ongoing to determine the full scope of the mother’s actions and her psychological condition.
