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Last update - 15:40 31/08/2008
Husband of woman suspected of drowning son says she suffered from depression
By Igal Hai, Haaretz Correspondent, and Haaretz Service
Tags: Police, Rishon Letzion 

The husband of 42-year-old Rishon Letzion resident, Olga Borisov, who was arrested late Thursday night on suspicion that she had drowned her son at the Taio beach in Bat Yam, has told police that his wife had been suffering from depression in the weeks leading up to his son's death.

"Recently, she was taking all types of pills. She also started drinking, and wasn't able to sleep at night. She was in a state of deep depression," Ilan Yehuda told Channel 2 on Saturday.

"Olga, my wife, entered a deep depression in the last few weeks. She thought her son was not okay and wouldn't succeed in life. He had a number of problems, but they were treatable."
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"I don't understand, she wanted a normal boy and for all intents and purposes he was. But, she got it in her head that there was something wrong with them."

Yehuda also told Channel 2 of seeing his son after he was killed by his mother.

"I saw my son, I tried to revive him, but I was told to leave the area, but I didn't want to. I wanted to stay with him, to be with him."

"After that, they took me to the police station, only then was I told that he had died."

Yehuda added, with tears in his eyes, that his son "was my entire world."

Yehuda was released from custody on Saturday after being held one day for failing to prevent the crime. On Friday, the court extended the father's remand until Sunday, but he appealed the decision. Yehuda was released under the condition that he would not leave the country and refrain from contacting his wife's family.

Police are looking into suspicions that Olga Borisov, who allegedly drowned her 4-year-old son on Friday, had tried to harm the boy in the past.

Suspicion arose when it emerged that the boy had sustained inexplicable injuries during a trip to Moscow two months ago.

After her arrest late Thursday night, Olga Borisov told police she had planned to drown the boy several days prior, as he had become a "burden."

The court extended Borisov's remand by 10 days on Friday. She has been described as suffering from mental disabilities.

Police received a report at 1:30 A.M. between Thursday and Friday indicating that a woman had been seen throwing a child into the water off the shore of Taio Beach in Bat Yam. Witnesses also said the woman was wandering in the area while mumbling to herself.

Investigators arrived on the scene and immediately began searching for the child. A few minutes later, the boy was spotted submerged in the water.

At around 9:30 P.M. earlier that evening, the woman's husband reported that his wife had not come home, and that she had left behind a suicide note. In the letter, which was written incoherently, the woman asked for her husband's forgiveness for her actions.

"We went down to the beach, we combed the length of the shore," said Shlomi Katz, a volunteer with Magen David Adom emergency medical service. "A man and a woman entered the water while police provided light so they can see into the water. After a few minutes, they shouted, 'We found him, we found him,' and they took the boy out of the water."

Police also arrested the husband for failing to prevent a crime. The couple was escorted to Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court. The wife was expected to be sent for psychiatric evaluation so authorities may ascertain whether she is fit to stand trial.

The country was reeling this past week after wide media coverage of the disappearance and apparent murder of four-year-old Rose Pizem. Police have arrested the girl's grandfather and biological mother, who are alleged to have conspired in the girl's death.

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