The Ibiza police department, operating under the National Police Service, reported yesterday the arrest of a couple following preliminary medical evaluations at Can Misses Hospital. They are identified as the alleged perpetrators of abuse within the family environment. Investigators found traces of cocaine and ketamine in their two-year-old child. The two detainees are a 31-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman. The events leading to the arrests occurred around 17:00 on October 13 after agents received a tip from the Minor Protective District. It is noted that there were concerns at the hospital when a child presented with severe abdominal pain and was brought to the Emergency Service by their parents.
Medical staff reported that the child had previously been diagnosed with appendicitis, and further tests were conducted after the parents described themselves as regular users of certain medications. The additional analyses revealed the presence of cocaine and ketamine in the child. Once Can Misses Hospital Child Protection Services confirmed these findings, the National Police began urgent custody procedures to safeguard the child. This protective measure was taken as part of the ongoing case and the parents were detained accordingly.
The case was promptly reported to the Unified Judicial Police Group, which assumed the investigation. Authorities also carried out the necessary steps before the Public Prosecutor to determine the baby’s risk status and potential admission to a shelter.
Defense accuses authorities of misrepresentation
Available nighttime court procedures at the police station concluded without full disclosure of the detainees’ post-hearing status. The police memo does not specify what occurred when the parents testified before the on-duty judge.
The detainees’ defense, represented by Madrid-based lawyer Daniel Molina, told this outlet that the National Police will be accused of illegal detention. The lawyer stated that the clients were summoned to the police station without being informed of the reason and were held in custody in the presence of counsel, without a clear explanation of the grounds for detention. The lawyer also claimed that the police statement in the press release is inaccurate and that documents exist contradicting it, which he intended to share with Diario de Ibiza. [Source attribution: Diario de Ibiza]
The attorney noted that a prior filing had been made on September 9 involving the detainee and his mother. The boy’s grandmother later filed a complaint alleging neglect, with the lawyer suggesting that the grandmother has schizophrenia. He also cited reports from the pediatrics chief of the local health district indicating no signs of neglect by the caregivers.
The family was at Can Misses Hospital on October 26 due to abdominal pain, and the child’s condition deteriorated, prompting a transfer to Son Espases in Mallorca for emergency surgery. The child was diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Four days after admission, a drug test was conducted without parental consent or judicial authorization, according to the defense. [Source attribution: Diario de Ibiza]
Questions about sedation and timing
The defense questioned whether sufficient time had passed for ketamine to wear off before testing, and suggested possible explanations for the presence of substances, including timing and the possibility that ketamine had been used as a sedative. The lawyer asserted that there was no evidence the parents disclosed their drug use to police, medical staff, or others. The police memo characterizes the health workers’ actions as negligent, including the step of reclaiming custody of the child. The detainees’ lawyer argued that social services were involved immediately after discharge and that the family has faced barriers to visiting the child, despite parental rights.