"That Will Cause Harm"...Message Found on Father's Phone of Deceased 57-Day-Old Baby

Suspicious evidence suggesting that a man in his 20s repeatedly beat his 57-day-old son, who later died from abuse, was found on the father's mobile phone.

According to the Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on the 27th, conversations suspected of showing that A (28), who is accused of child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes, repeatedly hit his deceased son B were confirmed on his mobile phone.

A man in his 20s, identified as Mr. A, who is accused of abusing his 57-day-old son to death, appeared at the Incheon District Court in Michuhol-gu, Incheon, on the afternoon of July 26 to undergo a pre-arrest detention hearing.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The police secured KakaoTalk messenger messages in which A’s wife appears to be trying to stop his violence. According to the police, A’s wife C (30) reportedly said, “Stop hitting the child repeatedly,” and “You’ll kill the child if you keep doing that.”

C also sent messages to her husband along the lines of, “There was a bad incident last year too, so it shouldn’t happen again.”

In fact, in A’s family, their one-month-old son died of acute pneumonia in July last year. At that time, no signs of abuse related to the child were identified.

A is currently accused of abusing his son B to death at their home in Namdong-gu, Incheon this month (child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes).

Police investigations revealed that B was taken to the hospital three times for treatment shortly before his death on the 20th, 23rd, and 24th. On the 20th and 24th, the 119 emergency medical service responded, and on the 23rd, A himself took his son to the hospital.

At the time, A and his wife reported to 119 that “Since the 18th, the child cries whenever put down and is weak,” and “The child vomits formula and has seizures.” When the paramedics arrived on the 20th, external injuries were observed on B’s head.

Later, on the 24th, A called 119 again saying “The child is vomiting,” and the responding fire department transported B to the hospital. B showed symptoms of skull and thigh fractures and brain hemorrhage, received treatment, but died around 12:48 p.m. on the 25th.

During police questioning, A denied the abuse charges, stating, “I shook the child while holding him, but I don’t know why he died,” and “I called 119 because the child kept vomiting formula.”

The National Forensic Service conducted an autopsy on B’s body and gave a preliminary verbal opinion to the police that “Although detailed analysis is needed, it is highly likely that death was caused by head injuries.”

Meanwhile, the court conducted a detention hearing for A the previous day and dismissed the warrant, stating, “There is room for dispute regarding the degree of evidence for the criminal charges, and expert opinions have not yet been received.”

The police plan to conduct additional supplementary investigations and reapply for A’s arrest warrant.

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