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Santo Domingo.- The National District Prosecutor’s Office has formally charged French national Georges Antoine Thevenet with involuntary manslaughter and violations of health and environmental laws in connection with the deaths of Adelle Marie Ruiz León and her two-month-old daughter. The charges, based on Articles 319 of the Dominican Penal Code and Article 25 of Law 311 on the Regulation of Insecticides, stem from negligent fumigation at an apartment in the Piantini sector, which also caused severe health issues for Ruiz León’s husband and one-year-old son.
According to prosecutor Luis Alberto Tavárez Peña, on January 19, Thevenet, hired by Karina Baussan, used aluminum phosphide, a highly toxic pesticide, to fumigate a woodworm infestation in Baussan’s apartment. Thevenet, who lacked professional fumigation credentials, allegedly applied approximately 480 capsules of the pesticide without notifying the building’s residents, violating Technical Environmental Regulations for pesticide management. This negligence exposed the residents of Apartment 801, including the Ruiz León family, to dangerous levels of phosphine gas, resulting in fatal poisoning for Adelle and her infant daughter on January 20.
Autopsies confirmed that the victims died from acute inhalation of phosphine, leading to pulmonary edema and respiratory failure. Aluminum phosphide, commonly used for grain preservation, releases toxic phosphine gas when in contact with moisture, which was the cause of death in this tragic incident.
Ok, So this man alledgedly commited a crime, was negligent inhis duties and cause painful deaths to a mother and child, and injuries to another son and husnand. If he is found guilty which I have no doubt he is, what are the penalties. I hope that the he is dealt with the full extent of the law.
Dominican Republic cannot allow these foreighners to go there and cause mayhem with impunity.
To be fair, let us hope that ALL people (foreigners AND Dominicans) that break the law are held accountable to the “full extent of the law”. I am sure we have seen a lot of people, foreign and domestic, break a lot of rules without consequence.