Cause of Death for Deceased '16-Month-Old Adopted Child' is Abdominal Injury Due to External Force

Forensic Science Institute's detailed autopsy results... Police reviewing warrant application for adoptive parents

Police logo. Photo by Asia Economy DB

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] The cause of death of a 16-month-old child who was found dead with bruises all over the body was revealed to be 'abdominal injury caused by external force.'

The Yangcheon Police Station in Seoul announced on the 4th that it received the detailed autopsy results of girl A from the National Forensic Service the day before, which contained this information.

Girl A, who died at a hospital in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on the 13th of last month, had severe injuries to her abdomen and brain when she was brought to the hospital. A hospital official who saw this suspected child abuse and reported it to the police.

Girl A was adopted by her current parents in January. Since then, there were three reports of child abuse, but each time, the police and child protection agencies failed to find evidence of abuse and returned girl A to her parents.

Following criticism that the police response was lax, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency stated, "We will form an inspection team to verify whether the previous three reports were handled according to regulations, and the Yangcheon Police Station will thoroughly reinvestigate this death case and the previous reports."

After the controversy arose, the police registered girl A's parents as suspects and summoned them multiple times to investigate whether there was any abuse, including assault, prior to the death.

Based on the autopsy results, the police plan to consult experts such as forensic scientists to decide whether to apply for an arrest warrant for the parents.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.