Grandmother is the Biological Mother of 'Gumi 3rd Generation Girl'... 3 Mysteries [Seunggon Han's Case Notebook]

Grandmother Reported Granddaughter's Death, But She Is the Biological Mother
Woman Arrested as Biological Mother Is Actually Older Sister
Did the Couple Really Not Know... Did Grandmother Dream of a Perfect Crime?
Whereabouts of Another Child Born to Older Sister... Possibility of Violent Crime

On the 12th, at the Daegu District Court Gimcheon Branch in Gimcheon-si, Gyeongbuk, A(22), the elder sister known as the mother of a 2-year-old girl who was found dead at a villa in Gumi-si on the 10th, is coming out after attending the detention warrant substantive hearing.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] It has been revealed that the biological mother of a 3-year-old girl found dead in Gumi, Gyeongbuk, was actually the woman previously identified as the grandmother in her 50s, shocking the public. The person initially thought to be the biological mother was actually the deceased girl's sister. The "grandmother" was the one who directly reported the case to the police in February, raising suspicions that she may have meticulously planned the crime from the beginning.

Originally expected to be closed as a child abuse case, the situation has taken an unexpected turn, involving the entire family in the girl's death.

In fact, the case is evolving into a serious crime, with almost all family members being accomplices or deceiving each other within the family to commit the crime. The police are investigating the detailed circumstances of the case.

◆ What happened on the day the case became public?

On February 10th around 3 p.m., B, a woman in her 50s who was later revealed to be the biological mother and grandmother, went to clean out the villa after the owner asked her to vacate the house where her 20-something daughter had been living.

She then discovered her deceased 3-year-old daughter and reported to the police that her granddaughter was dead. At the time, the child was found cold in a room without heating, and decomposition was significantly advanced.

The police initially focused their investigation on A (22), who was known as the child's mother, to understand why she left her daughter alone and to investigate the possibility of abuse.

Investigations revealed that A had moved to another house in the same neighborhood about six months earlier and was aware that her daughter was already dead. The child's father had left the home long ago, and there was almost no contact with the maternal grandfather.

The estimated time of death was August of the previous year. A reportedly left the girl alone in an empty house to live with her new husband in a nearby villa in early August. A was expecting a child with her new husband.

At the time of moving, A took all household goods with her, and there was reportedly no food left in the house. The police estimate that the child, left alone, died from starvation.

Up to this point, the case seemed to conclude as a death caused by parental abuse.

On the 12th, at the Gimcheon Branch of the Daegu District Court in Gimcheon-si, Gyeongbuk, A (22), the elder sister known as the mother of the 2-year-old girl who was found dead at a villa in Gumi-si on the 10th, was coming out after attending the detention warrant substantive hearing.

◆ ① The couple known as the biological mother A... Did they think the 3-year-old girl was their actual daughter?

According to police investigations and media reports, although A had not visited the villa for nearly half a year after abandoning her daughter, she reportedly pretended to live with her deceased daughter to her family, including her parents.

Notably, three months after moving out, she posted a photo of her daughter on her SNS with the message, "I love you. Please listen to me." This led to suspicions that she posted as if living with the child to prevent others from realizing the child was missing.

When questioned by the police, A reportedly said about her deceased daughter, "I hated her because she was my ex-husband's child," and "I knew the child was in the villa. She must have died."

Based on these circumstances, it is highly likely that A regarded her 3-year-old younger sister as her own daughter. This is further supported by the fact that after remarrying, she collected the girl's childcare allowance and child benefits.

Moreover, A's ex-husband visited Gumi City Hall on February 16 to check how much childcare and child benefits had been paid, suggesting he also considered the 3-year-old girl as their own daughter.

◆ ② The 50s grandmother revealed as the biological mother... Did she meticulously plan a perfect crime?

On the 11th, the case took a completely new turn when the arrest warrant for A, charged with child abuse and neglect resulting in death, was requested. The Gumi Police Department announced on the 10th that they had taken into custody and were investigating suspect B, who conspired with A in the crime.

The prime suspect B was revealed to be the biological mother of the girl and the initial reporter of the case?the grandmother. A, previously known as the biological mother who caused the death of the 3-year-old, was actually the girl's sister.

This fact was uncovered during DNA testing of the deceased 3-year-old and the detained A. Earlier, the investigation expanded DNA testing to surrounding individuals and confirmed a biological relationship between the girl and B.

This situation is presumed to have arisen from an unexpected pregnancy and childbirth of B, A's mother.

The police believe B disguised her daughter as her granddaughter to conceal the fact that she gave birth to the deceased child. Coincidentally, A and B reportedly had similar pregnancy and childbirth periods.

◆ ③ Where is the child born to A now... Possibility of another serious crime

With the situation as it is, public interest is focused on who in the family was involved, who led the crime, and who gained illicit benefits.

Another possibility of a serious crime has been raised. The whereabouts of the child born to A are currently unknown. There is a growing concern that this could escalate into another serious crime, such as murder.

The police are investigating whether A and B conspired to swap the children and are focusing their efforts on locating the child born to A.

What was expected to be a child abuse case is now under suspicion of being a planned crime by the biological mother, the woman in her 50s known as the grandmother, and the cause of the 3-year-old girl's death remains unresolved. The autopsy did not reveal the cause of death.

The police stated on the 26th of last month, "The cause of the girl's death is unknown, and there were no signs of broken bones," adding, "Since the child had been dead for about six months, it was difficult to determine the exact cause of death due to organ decomposition." At the time of discovery, the girl was in a semi-mummified state.