"3-Year-Old Girl" Case Remains Unsolved... Unresolved Suspicions [Han Seung-gon's Incident Notebook]

Police: "Mother of 3-Year-Old Girl Suspected of Attempting to Abandon Body"
Additional Charges of Attempted Abandonment of a Corpse Added to Minor Abduction Case, Sent to Prosecution

On the morning of the 11th, at the Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court, A, the maternal grandmother identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who died in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, is entering the court to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). / Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The police investigating the death of a 3-year-old girl found dead in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, have sent the case to the prosecution today (17th). In a briefing related to the case, the police revealed that there was evidence suggesting that A (48) attempted to dispose of the body. However, various questions raised so far remain unresolved, raising concerns that the case might become a cold case.

Initially known as the maternal grandmother, A was revealed to be the biological mother of the 3-year-old girl, B. C (22), who was arrested on charges including child abuse and was thought to be the biological mother, turned out to be B’s older sister. In this situation, the whereabouts of C’s daughter remain unknown, turning what was initially expected to be a child abuse case into a serious violent crime case, attracting nationwide attention.

The Gumi Police Department, which is investigating the case, held a press briefing this morning and announced that they had added the charge of attempted corpse disposal against A. However, no other investigative achievements were disclosed. The police stated that they will continue investigating the whereabouts of the missing girl even after sending the case to the prosecution.

◆ Where is the missing girl now?

The first thing to be uncovered through further investigation is the whereabouts of the missing daughter born to C. Although it was revealed on the 10th that A is the mother of the deceased 3-year-old girl B, the police have yet to confirm the life status of C’s daughter. The police have only confirmed the hospital and birth registration of the girl born to C.

Moreover, there is no birth record for B, the daughter born to A, and the police are searching for any assistants or traditional midwives who might have helped A during childbirth, but have not achieved any significant results. As a result, some public opinion speculates that A might be denying her childbirth, and that the DNA test results might have errors or be completely wrong.

On the morning of the 11th, the maternal grandmother, identified as the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl who was found dead at the Gumi Police Station in Gyeongbuk, entered the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch to undergo a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

◆ "Probability of biological relationship is 99.9999%" Who is the biological father?

However, the National Forensic Service (NFS) stated that the possibility of error is virtually zero. The NFS confirmed that the probability of biological relationship between A, the mother, and the deceased girl B is over 99.9999%. The police reportedly conducted this DNA test four times through the NFS.

Nevertheless, the biological father of B remains unknown. To find the biological father of the deceased girl, the police conducted extensive DNA tests on men around A and other related individuals but have yet to identify the father. Currently, the police have deployed three profilers and even used a lie detector test to obtain a confession from A, but no significant progress has been made.

◆ Is A’s family a normal family?

Some media outlets, citing police officials, reported that the family involved was not a normal family. This has led to suspicions that the family might have been under some coercive or uniform hierarchical relationship, almost like a criminal organization, where someone orders crimes and others carry them out.

However, Lee Bong-cheol, head of the investigation division at Gumi Police Station, told Asia Economy in a phone interview, "How can we categorize other families as normal or abnormal? The very idea is difficult to establish."

Based on this, when considering the overall situation, A’s family might appear to be a normal family from an external perspective. However, unresolved questions remain, such as how the family could be unaware of A’s pregnancy. Additionally, the process of 'child swapping' remains the biggest mystery to be uncovered through investigation.

On the 12th of last month, Ms. C, initially known as the biological mother of Ms. B, was coming out after the substantive examination of the arrest warrant at the Gimcheon Branch of Daegu District Court in Gimcheon-si, Gyeongbuk. / Yonhap News

◆ "I have never given birth" vs. "DNA test results are clear"

Meanwhile, in today’s press briefing, the police explained, "We have confirmed some evidence and obtained statements that A attempted to dispose of the body after discovering the deceased girl on the 9th of last month, a day before reporting to the police, and have added the charge of attempted corpse disposal." Regarding the possibility that A’s husband was involved in the disposal, they stated, "No evidence of the husband’s involvement has been found."

Regarding the cause of death of the deceased girl, they said, "The exact cause of death has not yet been determined by the NFS results. There were no signs of fractures or other injuries on the girl’s body, so it is not believed that she died from assault."

As A, initially known as the maternal grandmother, was revealed to be the biological mother, the police emphasized, "Despite retesting the DNA at A’s request, the results were the same. The test results are clear."

Regarding the whereabouts of the child born to C, A’s daughter, the police said, "Although there is no direct clue, we have confirmed some related leads and are tracking them." When asked about the biological father of the deceased child, they explained, "The biological father can only be identified once the missing child’s whereabouts are found."

The police also stated that A did not undergo a polygraph test. They explained, "The polygraph test was not conducted because the conditions for the subject were not met. Although someone other than A underwent a polygraph test, we cannot disclose specific details such as the results."

On the 10th of last month, a 3-year-old girl was found dead after being left unattended in a villa in Sangmo Sagok-dong, Gumi City. DNA test results revealed that the deceased girl was not the daughter of C, previously thought to be the mother, but the biological daughter of A, previously thought to be the maternal grandmother. Regarding this, A strongly denies giving birth, saying, "I have never given birth. The baby is my daughter’s."

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