Assault and Water Torture... Ten-Year-Old Girl Dies from Aunt's Severe Abuse

A police line has been set up at an apartment in Yongin City where a child abuse incident occurred.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] At a time when public outrage over child abuse is higher than ever due to the death of a 16-month-old adopted child in Yangcheon, Seoul (known as the 'Jeong-in case'), a similar incident has occurred again in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, shocking the nation. A ten-year-old girl ultimately lost her life due to the cruelty of her aunt and uncle.

According to the Yongin Dongbu Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on the 9th, at around 12:35 PM the previous day, a niece, B (10), was found unconscious at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A (in their 40s) in Cheoin-gu, Yongin City.

The couple initially reported to 119 that "the child had fallen into the bathtub and was not breathing." However, bruises were found all over B's body, and after medical staff and paramedics reported this, a police investigation began.

During the police investigation, the couple reportedly stated that they had beaten the child for about two days because she did not obey, and as a form of discipline, they performed so-called 'water torture' by filling the bathtub with water and repeatedly putting her in and taking her out.

The medical examiner who performed the autopsy on B gave a preliminary opinion that she "is presumed to have died from secondary shock." In other words, she died from shock caused by trauma. The exact cause of death is expected to be known in about two weeks when the autopsy results from the National Forensic Service are released.

It is known that the couple used plastic fly swatters and brooms to assault B. Furthermore, there are reports that there were marks indicating she had been tied up on her arms.

B began living at the couple's home sometime between late October and early November of last year. Prior to that, she reportedly had no particular problems in school or elsewhere.

The police plan to apply for an arrest warrant for the couple within the day and investigate the exact circumstances of when the abuse began. In addition to charges of child abuse resulting in death, the police are also considering applying murder charges depending on the progress of the investigation.

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