A Korean couple in their 20s repeatedly assaulted their restrained two-year-old son, causing his death, and then dumped his body, investigators said. The couple was found to have abused all of the children living with them, not just their deceased son.
According to the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency and prosecutors Wednesday, the husband, identified only as A, 28, and his wife, identified as B, 27, who have been indicted and detained on charges of child abuse resulting in death, repeatedly struck their two-year-old son, identified as C, with their hands and a backscratcher, saying he "would not sleep and was being noisy."
In particular, B tied the child's body with an adult shirt during the assaults to prevent him from moving. While restrained, C endured prolonged beatings, dehydration and exhaustion without ever receiving medical treatment. He died in January. The National Forensic Service concluded that the death resulted from a combination of myocarditis, prolonged beatings and exhaustion.
The couple did not report the death. A, together with his father-in-law, identified as D, placed C's body in a burlap sack and dumped it at an abandoned house in Namji-eup, Changnyeong County. The abandoned house was confirmed to be a place where the father-in-law had previously lived.
The case came to light after a local government office reported that the child had stopped attending daycare. Police identified A as the prime suspect and arrested him on an emergency warrant on March 16.
As the investigation expanded, signs of abuse were also confirmed against the couple's other children. The couple had six children in total, but their 8-year-old and 6-year-old were already living at a child protection facility. Their 10-year-old had been placed with relatives.
Signs of abuse were confirmed against all three of the children the parents were directly raising. Immediately after A's arrest, police separated the two children remaining at the home and transferred them to a protection facility.
Police also confirmed that the couple had abused their 6-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son during the summer and fall of last year, and they were referred to prosecutors last month. A was charged with physical abuse for striking the children with items including a backscratcher, while B was charged with emotional abuse for punishing a child by making the child stand for long periods.
The investigation found that the couple met as teenagers and started a family. They had no steady jobs and lived off part-time work and government benefits including parental allowances, child allowances and basic livelihood subsidies. Police said no particular intellectual or mental health issues were identified in the couple. B, currently in detention, is expected to give birth to their seventh child in July.
At the first hearing held at the Miryang branch of the Changwon District Court on Tuesday, the couple declined to immediately answer whether they acknowledged the child abuse resulting in death charges, saying they would "clarify their position after organizing it."
Meanwhile, D, the father-in-law who took part in dumping the body, acknowledged the charge of disposing of a corpse, and prosecutors sought a sentence of 1 year and 6 months in prison. The next hearing is scheduled for June 10 at 3:30 p.m.
