the family of Israel, the teenager who died despite two calls to Samu, expresses their pain on social networks

On October 28, a 13-year-old boy died at his home even though his parents contacted Samu twice. When help arrived, Israel Tambu was in cardio-respiratory arrest. The autopsy was to shed light on the circumstances of the death, but to date, the family has still not received the official results. Israel Tambu's sister published a post on social networks, denouncing medical negligence.

“Dad, I don't feel well. I feel burning in my body”. Israel uttered this terrible sentence a few hours before his death on October 28.

Israel's father and sister tried to contact Samu twice that evening, as we told you in this article, a few days after the death of the young teenager. They are first redirected to SOS Médecin before the Samu comes.

“Resuscitation attempts failed. My little brother, full of life and future, had just left us“, relates Israel's sister on her X profile. An investigation was then opened and an autopsy was requested by the Bourges Prosecutor, Céline Visiedo.

“A few days later, we learned from an article in Berry Républicain that an autopsy had been carried out on November 5. However, no information was communicated to us by the investigators. We were left in the dark, which added to our pain and feeling of abandonment.“, continues Christia.

On November 9, two days after the publication of the Berry Républicain article, the family received a call from the Bourges police. “They told us that the autopsy took place and we could collect the body. They gave us the first results with nuances“, remembers Apollinaire Tambu, the father of Israel.

The police then spoke on the phone about a possible pulmonary infection. “I immediately asked if we could do a second opinion, but they told me that it was not sure that it was possible.“.

On the social networkthis diagnosis is incomprehensible. Israel had no symptoms associated with a lung infection, such as cough, fever or difficulty breathing. Furthermore, an infection of this type should have been visible during the examinations carried out at the Jacques Cœur hospital. Even if Israel had indeed suffered from a lung infection, it would necessarily have had detectable clinical signs. An x-ray would also have revealed the infection“.

The fact that no symptoms were reported or detected by doctors reinforces our belief that serious medical negligence took place

Christia, sister of Israel

After Israel's funeral on November 16, the family is still waiting for answers. “We preferred to hear them in person, so we went to the police station on Monday, November 18.“Faced with them, the police are much more assertive even though the results have still not been officially communicated.”They told us again that it's a lung infection. But we don't believe it. I revoked the trail of painkillers he took for example, but I felt that they already had their mind set on the matter, even though at this stage they are still supposed to collect the data“.

Israel's parents also tried to contact the Bourges Prosecutor, Céline Visiedo, by telephone or by appearing in court, without success.

We still do not have an official document attested by the medical examiner at this stage

Apollinaire Tambu, father of Israel

Six days before his death, Israel, a young prospect from Bourges Foot Club, did an internship at the Châteauroux Regional Technical Center. “My little brother, Israel Tambu Kipepe, aged 13, participated in a detection course in Châteauroux on October 21 and 22, 2024.

During this internship, he received a shock to the shoulder, says Christia, Israel's sister, on the social network taken to the Jacques Cœur hospital in Bourges. An X-ray was taken, and the doctor prescribed medication and a splint. However, the medical report did not mention shoulder pain, a central element of his complaint.“.

However, the President of the Football league assures him, during this training, Israel did not fall. “All match films were provided to investigators. We also watched them several times. At no time is a fall detected“, confirms Antonio Teixera, President of the Football League Centre-Val de Loire. “Israel also did not report during the training that he was not feeling well. He played two normal matches. He was brought back by a league educator who was interviewed by the commissioner in charge of the investigation. He too did not detect anything abnormal, Israel did not complain“.

The family explains for its part that it does not know the identity of the person who brought Israel back. “We thought it was his trainer who brought him back, but it wasn't him. The investigators told us they knew who it was, but they won't tell us“The family would however like to speak with this person to understand what state Israel was in at the time and what he was able to describe.

For Israel's father, responsibilities are in any case shared between the medical profession and the central football league. Antonio Teixiera is awaiting, like the family, the results of the investigation and deplores the questioning of the league on social networks. “This is the first time I have been contacted by the press on this subject., deplores the President of the league. We wanted to be of service by bringing back Israel which was not recovered by its parents and we are blamed. He adds: it could have been my grandson. We deplore the death of Israel. The educator is also very affected, very bad about himself.”

The family today has a real feeling of abandonment. “I had confidence, I believed in justice, I let the investigation take its course and I didn't want to accuse anyone. But today we are really disappointed, really angry“, confides Apollinaire Tambu. A feeling also expressed by Israel's sister on social networks. “Israel was a cheerful, ambitious and full of life boy. His preventable death was the result of a series of medical and institutional negligence. We are devastated by this tragedy, but we refuse to let this injustice go unpunished. The memory of Israel deserves truth and justice“.

Israel's parents have already contacted a lawyer and are due to have an appointment this weekend. “I will not give up until I die, it will be the last sanction for me. But as long as I'm alive, I won't bear this pain, otherwise I'll be a coward“.

Despite our multiple reminders, the Bourges public prosecutor's office did not respond to our requests.