Mum ‘beat son, 5, to death in front of daughter, 6, for causing a mess in house’

mirror.co.uk:

A mother is accused of killing her 5-year-old son by violently hitting his head against the floor "for causing a mess". The 25-year-old, identified only as Elena, is accused of attacking her son Artem until he stopped breathing during the incident at their home in the village of Sokolivka, central Ukraine.

The alleged assault reportedly occurred in front of the boy’s sister Diana, six, last week. Elena was reportedly later found holding the dead body of her son in her arms outside her house.

Vira Asaulenko, the mayor of the village, told local media: "We came to check on the family after the kids did not come to the kindergarten and school. "We saw the mother in the courtyard of her house. "She was holding Artem in her arms.