MOSCOW, July 21 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a case on the neglect of duty during adoption following the death of a Russian child in Italy, the official committee spokesperson, Vladimir Markin, announced on Sunday.

Maxim Maravalle, 5, born Maxim Kichigin, died on the night of July 17 in Pescara, Italy. Several Italian media outlets write that he was allegedly strangled by his 47-year-old adoptive father, Massimo Maravalle.

Maxim was adopted from Blagoveshchensk in the Amur Region, Russian Far East, in 2012.

According to the media, the boy’s adoptive father had a mental disorder and took psychiatric medications. However, this fact was omitted during the adoption process.

The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Russian Embassy are monitoring the case.