A couple who believed in feeding on sunlight and imposed that “diet” on their 1-month-old baby that resulted in the baby dying of starvation, were arrested.
The incident happened in Russia, with the Russian authorities saying that the couple had tried to impose the “sunlight diet” on their baby.
They didn’t give the baby food or water and only fed him with the “energy of the sun”.
The Daily Mail reported that the couple, 43-year-old Maxim Lyutyu and 33-year-old Oxana Mironova were the founders of a club called “The Living Man”, that claims to help people improve their health and personal problems.
Lyutyi, the father of the baby, is an influencer with about 65,000 followers on Instagram and a proclaimed “propagandist of raw food”, while his wife Mironova is a firm believer (along with her husband) that sunlight is food.
The couple tried to have their son feeding on the sun and abstain from food or water, resulting in the child suffering from prolonged starvation and ultimately, death.
The one month old baby died while the couple were taking him to the hospital when his condition deteriorated, and was suspected of having pneumonia and being emaciated, according to The Daily Star.
According to preliminary investigations into the baby’s death, the cause of death was found to be “severe exhaustion” due to the father trying to impose his nutrition system on the baby.
Both Lyutyi and Mironova have since been arrested by the Russian police, with the Russian Investigative Committee also investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of the one month old baby.
A criminal case has been launched as well against the couple, with Mironova being investigated for causing death by negligence – she is currently under a 2 month house arrest.
Her husband, Luytyi, was detained by the police separately for putting up a resistance against the police and authorities.