"Returned from work to find baby deceased" Biological mother stored infant's body in refrigerator for 2 years

A mother in her 40s was sentenced to imprisonment for neglecting her two-month-old baby, causing the child's death, and storing the body in a refrigerator for two years.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] A woman in her 40s was sentenced to five years in prison for neglecting her two-month-old son, causing his death, and storing his body in a refrigerator for two years.

On the 29th, according to the legal community, the 1st Criminal Division of the Suncheon Branch of the Gwangju District Court (Chief Judge Song Baekhyun) sentenced A (42), who was tried on charges of violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes (child abuse resulting in death), to five years in prison. She was also ordered to complete an 80-hour child abuse treatment program and was banned from working at child and youth-related institutions and welfare facilities for the disabled for three years.

A is accused of neglecting her two-month-old son, born in October 2018 at her residence in Yeosu-si, Jeollanam-do, causing his death and hiding the body for two years. She is also charged with violating the Child Welfare Act (child abandonment and neglect) for leaving her 7-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter in a house filled with garbage.

The Yeosu Police Department discovered the child's body in a refrigerator while searching A’s home last November following a report from a child protection agency suspecting child abuse.

During the police investigation, A reportedly stated, "I came home from work and found the baby dead." The child protection agency sent A’s other children to a child shelter and separated them from A.

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "The fact that a parent abandoned their duty to raise their child is highly socially condemnable and unforgivable," and added, "Considering comprehensively the circumstances of the defendant as a single mother raising three children alone and the strong commitment shown by the defendant’s parents toward the remaining children, the sentence was determined."

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