A 3-year-old child who died in a suspected abuse case in Yangju, south of Seoul, was killed by a head injury caused by an external impact, police said.
Police said April 29 that the National Forensic Service concluded the boy, identified only as A, died of head trauma and that the injury appeared to have been caused by nonaccidental external force.
The agency had earlier said in an initial verbal assessment that it was difficult to definitively determine whether the head injury was caused by abuse. The autopsy findings later clarified that the death resulted from an external impact.
Investigators also found signs of bleeding in the child’s abdomen that appeared to have occurred in the past. Police said they will continue investigating the possibility the child was abused over an extended period.
The child suffered a severe head injury at a home in Okjeong-dong, Yangju, at about 6:44 p.m. on April 9 and was taken to a nearby hospital. He underwent surgery for a brain hemorrhage but died five days later at about 11:33 p.m. on April 14.
Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said it arrested and forwarded the case on April 17, sending the child’s father, identified only as B, to prosecutors on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death. Police also searched the couple’s home and vehicle.
During the investigation, police found messages exchanged by the couple over the past two years that they believe describe abuse of their son under the pretext of “discipline,” and are treating them as evidence of long-term abuse.
B’s wife is being investigated without detention, with police citing that the family has multiple children.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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