Father says he gave formula once before and once after work each day

National Forensic Service autopsy points to malnutrition as cause of death

The Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court. [Yonhap]
The Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court. [Yonhap]

A man in his 30s has been taken into custody after allegedly leaving his 17-month-old daughter alone at home and feeding her formula just twice a day — once before and once after work — causing her death. An initial autopsy by the National Forensic Service found malnutrition to be the presumed cause of death.

The Pyeongtaek Branch of Suwon District Court issued an arrest warrant Friday for the suspect, identified only as A, after holding a pre-arrest hearing on charges of child abuse resulting in death. Presiding warrant judge Kim Gyu-hwa cited a risk of flight and destruction of evidence in approving the warrant.

According to police, A allegedly left the infant, referred to as B, alone at the family's home in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, and neglected her for about 10 days after A's wife left following a domestic dispute earlier this month. A called emergency services around 10 p.m. Wednesday, reporting that the child was not breathing.

Firefighters and medical staff who transported B to a hospital grew suspicious of her condition. While no physical trauma from assault was found on the child's body, B was severely malnourished — drastically underweight for her age. Police, responding to reports from the hospital and fire department, arrested A at the scene after A partially admitted to the neglect.

A, an office worker, told investigators there was no one to look after the child and that going to work while leaving her alone was unavoidable. A said formula was given once before leaving for work and once after returning home — twice a day in total.

An initial verbal finding from the National Forensic Service autopsy, conducted Friday by the Gyeonggi Southern Regional Police Agency's women and juvenile crimes investigation unit, indicated malnutrition was the presumed cause of B's death. No direct signs of physical abuse such as fractures or bruising were found. The precise cause of death and details of B's physical condition at the time, including exact body weight, are expected to be confirmed through a full forensic autopsy report.

The family had no prior record of child abuse reports, and no home cameras or closed-circuit television devices were found installed in the residence.

Police are focusing their investigation on whether A was aware of B's malnourished state and the danger it posed yet chose to do nothing. Investigators also plan to conduct a digital forensic examination of A's mobile phone to verify whether A actually returned home each day to care for the child. Police will additionally question the mother — who had left the home — about her own responsibility for the neglect and the broader circumstances of the case.


hwshin@heraldcorp.com