In Kashkadarya, a private kindergarten head received 5 years for the death of a three-year-old girl forgotten in a car

Verdict in the case of a child's death in a car

The Kitab District Criminal Court sentenced the de facto head of a family-run non-state kindergarten to five years of imprisonment in a settlement colony in the Kamashi District of Kashkadarya Region, where on 4 June 2026 a three-year-old pupil died after being left in a closed car. In addition, the court barred the defendant from engaging in entrepreneurial activity for three years. Gazeta.uz, Kun.uz, UzNews.uz and Daryo.uz reported this, citing the court verdict.

Circumstances of the death

According to the case materials, the kindergarten was opened in December 2023 in the name of the defendant's father, but was in fact run by the defendant himself: about 50 children attended two groups, and the defendant personally transported the children in a Kia Carnival. On the morning of 4 June 2026, the children were brought to the kindergarten and dropped off, but without checking or counting them, the car doors were closed and the vehicle drove away. A girl born in 2023 remained inside. According to the forensic medical examination, she died of acute cardiovascular and respiratory failure caused by general overheating of the body. The disappearance was discovered at around 16:00; medics provided aid to the child, but doctors pronounced her dead.

Financial violations and charges

In addition to Part 3 of Article 116 of the Criminal Code (improper performance of professional duties resulting in a person's death), the court charged the defendant with embezzlement through appropriation or squandering (Part 2 of Article 167) and forgery and use of documents (Article 228). According to Daryo, an audit found that in 2024–2026 the defendant was accrued 29.69 million soums in salary, of which 26.12 million was transferred to his card and appropriated; in addition, employees — a teacher and a teacher's assistant — were fictitiously registered, with their cards held by the kindergarten head. Gazeta estimated the appropriated amount at more than 26 million soums. In court, the defendant pleaded guilty; during the proceedings, the damage caused was fully compensated.

Discrepancies between publications

The outlets describe certain details of the case differently. Gazeta and Kun.uz identify the defendant as a man — Aziz Ochilov — whereas Daryo writes about a woman (O.Ch.) who actually ran the kindergarten. The time the children were delivered also differs (08:00 according to Gazeta, around 07:20 according to Daryo), as does the degree of admission of guilt: Gazeta and Kun.uz report a full confession, Daryo a partial one. Kun.uz quotes the defendant as saying he did not count the children because 'everyone ran out quickly,' and that the girl's disappearance was reported by her husband at around 16:00. The outlets also differ on who exactly reported the disappearance — the husband or the defendant's spouse. The editorial team presents these versions as they are stated in the publications, without choosing between them.

A repeat case in the region

This is already the second such case in Kashkadarya Region in recent years: in June 2025, in the Koson District, a two-year-old girl spent several hours in the closed car of a private kindergarten director and died; the director then received three years of imprisonment. The current sentence — five years — is noticeably harsher than the previous one, which the outlets attribute to the combination of crimes: the child's death, embezzlement and document forgery.