Zagreb police charge parents after toddler found wandering alone

A three-and-a-half-year-old child was found wandering alone in diapers in a parking lot in Zagreb, prompting an immediate police intervention. Passersby alerted authorities after seeing the child crying and running after a cat.

Police reported that they spent approximately 40 minutes knocking on the door of the apartment where the parents were sleeping. The parents, aged 26 and 27, were reportedly unaware that their youngest child had exited the home. Investigations revealed the child escaped through a faulty, unlocked door.

The parents were taken to a police station and charged with violating the rights of a child. While prosecutors requested a one-month detention period due to the risk of recidivism, a judge at the Zagreb County Court denied the request, noting that the children have already been removed from the home and placed in social care.

This incident follows a previous intervention late last year involving domestic disputes and poor living conditions. At that time, authorities found the six-person household living in unsanitary conditions, which led to the children being temporarily removed from the family before being returned under intensive professional supervision.