"10-Year-Old Girl Found Dead in Bathtub Actually Died from Water Torture and Assault at Aunt's House"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-eun] A 10-year-old girl entrusted to her aunt's home drowned in a bathtub and died, and police investigation revealed that the girl died from severe abuse, including 'water torture,' by the aunt and her husband. The couple falsely reported that the child had drowned in the bathtub after the abuse led to her death.

According to the Yongin Eastern Police Station in Gyeonggi Province on the 9th, the couple, Mr. and Mrs. B, who had been taking care of A (10) for the past three months, stated during the police investigation, "The child has not been listening lately and has had trouble controlling her urination, so we hit her for about two days, and yesterday morning, as a form of discipline, we filled the bathtub with water and repeatedly put the child in and out of the water."

On the day of the accident, the 8th, when the couple noticed that A was not breathing and her body was limp, they stopped the abuse and falsely reported to the police that "the child fell into the bathtub." Paramedics who arrived at around 12:35 p.m. performed CPR on A, who was in cardiac arrest, and transported her to the hospital, but she ultimately died.

Medical staff and paramedics found bruises all over A's body and reported suspected child abuse to the police. The police received a statement from the couple admitting to "lightly hitting the child several times" and urgently arrested them on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.

After a child abuse death incident, a police line was set up at the apartment of the perpetrator couple in Yongin City. Photo by Yonhap News

During the subsequent police investigation, the couple eventually confessed to abusing the child using water. However, A's body did not show the bright red livor mortis (postmortem discoloration) typically seen in drowning cases, so drowning was considered unlikely. The medical examiner who performed the autopsy gave a preliminary opinion that "the death was presumed to be due to secondary shock."

In other words, it is presumed that the 'water torture' and prior physical abuse may have caused shock, and the subcutaneous hemorrhages caused by trauma likely reduced circulating blood volume, leading to shock and death.

Plastic fly swatters and plastic brooms were found in the couple's home, and they admitted to using these items for assault. Notably, marks indicating that A's arms had been bound were found, and bruises were discovered on various parts of her body, including her thighs, raising the possibility that the couple tied her up before assaulting her.

The exact cause of A's death is expected to be confirmed about two weeks later when detailed autopsy results are available. The police plan to apply for arrest warrants for the couple and expand the investigation.

Meanwhile, A had been living at the couple's home since late October to early November of last year. A's biological mother, who is Mr. B's younger sibling, reportedly entrusted A to the couple because she had difficulty caring for her due to moving and work commitments. No reports of suspected abuse related to A had been received before this incident.

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