"20-Month-Old Daughter Dies from Malnutrition" Dog Bodies Also Found in Home

Two Dead Dogs Found in Home
Mother Raised Two Daughters and Several Pets Together
Poor Living Conditions with Pet Excrement and Trash Left Unattended

It has been confirmed that the body of a dog was additionally discovered in the home of a woman in her 20s who was arrested on charges of neglecting her 20-month-old daughter to death.

A woman in her 20s, accused of neglect leading to the death of her 20-month-old daughter, is entering the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 7th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing). Photo by Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on March 16, Namdong District in Incheon visited the residence of Ms. A, who was arrested by the police last week on suspicion of child abuse resulting in death, and found the bodies of two dogs.

At the time of the visit, Ms. A had already been detained by the police, and it was reported that the dogs had not been dead long enough to significantly decompose. It has been determined that Ms. A had been keeping a total of four dogs, including the deceased ones, along with one cat.

The interior of Ms. A’s home, where the dog corpses were left unattended, was reportedly in such a poor condition that it could hardly be considered a suitable environment for two young children to live in. Various areas of the house were littered with pet excrement, trash, and plastic containers that had not been cleaned up.

Namdong District is currently reviewing options for disposing of the collected dog bodies and is also considering protective measures for the remaining pets in the home. One proposal under consideration is to transfer the animals to a stray animal shelter operated by the district, with Ms. A’s consent.

Earlier, the Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Unit of the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency referred Ms. A to the prosecution on March 12, under detention, on charges of child abuse resulting in death in violation of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment, etc. of Child Abuse Crimes. Ms. A is accused of neglecting her 20-month-old second daughter in her home in Namdong District, Incheon, leading to the child's death.

She is a single parent receiving basic living subsidies and has reportedly been receiving monthly government benefits—including living allowances and child support—totaling over 3 million won per month. She was also a regular user of the “Food Bank,” which provides food and daily necessities to vulnerable groups. However, the National Forensic Service delivered an initial verbal report to the police stating that the cause of death for the deceased child, referred to as B, was “presumed to be malnutrition.”

The police have also applied additional charges of child neglect under the Child Welfare Act, not only in connection with the deceased second daughter, B, but also regarding the first daughter, C, who is an elementary school student, as they believe proper care was not provided. Although C’s physical development was not poor, the police judged that the sanitary conditions of the home were inadequate for two children to live in.

A district official stated, “With the help of Ms. A’s relative, we visited the home at the time, and it was not an environment suitable for raising young children. You could say that hardly any trash had been cleaned up.”

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