Boy Left in Neglected Refrigerator Found Later as 'Frozen Corpse'... Initial Report Suspected Neighbor

Yeosu Police Station. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seul-gi] In Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, the body of a 2-month-old male infant was found in a refrigerator, prompting a police investigation. According to the police investigation, the infant had been neglected for over two years and was discovered late after a neighbor suspected child abuse and reported it.

According to Yeosu Police Station on the 30th, the body of a 2-year-old boy was found in the refrigerator of a house in Yeosu City on the 27th.

The police stated that they have arrested and are investigating the child's mother, Ms. A (43), on charges including child abuse.

According to the police, Ms. A is suspected of abandoning her son, one of fraternal twins born around August 2018, in the freezer compartment of her home refrigerator.

It was confirmed that three people lived in the house: the boy’s mother, the deceased boy, and the twin siblings, Ms. B (2) and the older brother Mr. C (7).

According to an SBS report on the day, the two siblings are currently under protection at a shelter. Although their physical health is not a major concern, they are reportedly receiving trauma treatment.

The neighbor who first reported suspected child abuse to the community service center said, "I found it strange that Mr. C was wandering alone late every day and eating cup noodles alone at a convenience store, so I reported it."

The problem was that it took another two weeks from the neighbor’s report to the separation of the children.

The neighbor’s initial report was on the 6th of last month, but the community service center staff visited Ms. A’s home four days later, on the 10th.

Then, on the 13th of last month, a child protection agency visited Ms. A’s home but was refused entry by Ms. A. It was only six days later that the police received the report.

The police and child welfare agencies did not realize that the deceased boy’s body was in the refrigerator until they removed 5 tons of garbage from the house. It was only during the investigation of the children that they detected the presence of another sibling.

In the police investigation, Ms. A stated, "I gave birth to (the deceased baby) at home without the father present. The baby died when about 100 days old, so I stored him in the freezer."

The police plan to conduct an autopsy to determine whether Ms. A was involved in the child’s death and to review whether there were any issues in the response by related agencies.

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