Mother and daughter with mental illness found dead in one-room apartment... Daughter presumed to have died of starvation

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] It was recently revealed that a mother and daughter who had been suffering from mental illness were found dead in a one-room apartment about 20 days after their deaths.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency and Masan Eastern Police Station announced on the 28th that they began an investigation after the mother, Ms. A (52), and her daughter, Ms. B (22), were found dead at around 11:30 a.m. on the 5th in a one-room apartment in Masanhwoin-gu, Changwon-si, Gyeongnam.

Based on the degree of decomposition of the bodies, the police estimated that they had died about 20 days before the day they were discovered.

The police judged that there was little possibility of suicide, as the autopsy showed no signs of homicide and no suicide note or similar evidence was found. However, it is believed that after Ms. A died suddenly, her daughter Ms. B likely starved to death.

According to Yonhap News, Ms. B had borderline intellectual disability during her lifetime, and Ms. A had been hospitalized and treated at a psychiatric hospital for several years since 2011.

Ms. B was known to have mostly stayed inside the house, and the two lived on Ms. A’s income from daily labor work.

The police are currently investigating the exact cause of death and other details.