"3-Year-Old Girl in Gumi's Ear Shape Changed"... 'GeuAl' Production Team Detects Possible Swap Evidence

Photo of the left ear shape of a 3-year-old girl from Gumi after April 24.
[Photo by SBS 'Geugeos-i Algo Sipda']

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Regarding the case in which a 3-year-old girl was found dead in a villa in Gumi, Gyeongbuk last February, the production team of the SBS investigative journalism program "Unanswered Questions" raised the possibility that the girl was switched around April 24, 2018, about a month after her birth, based on the shape of her ear.

In the episode titled "The Secret of Two Mothers, The Tragedy of Two Children," aired on the 10th, "Unanswered Questions" delved into the suspicions surrounding the death of the 3-year-old girl in Gumi.

In the broadcast, the production team analyzed thousands of photos documenting the girl's whereabouts from her birth on March 30, 2018, until she was alive, focusing on the shape of her ears. They commissioned experts to analyze photos clearly showing the girl's left ear using computer graphics. As a result, a change in the ear shape was detected starting from the photo taken on April 24, 2018.

In photos taken between March 30 and April 7, 2018, the girl's left ear showed a distinct folded outer ear rim, but in the photo taken on April 24, the ear rim appeared unfolded.

An expert stated, "The left ear was folded immediately after birth, but it changed to an unfolded shape. It is difficult to consider it the same person as in the initial photos." Based on this, the production team estimated that the switch occurred around April 24.

This differs from the timeline previously assumed by the police. The police had believed, based on DNA test results, that Seok (48), identified as the biological mother of the deceased girl, switched the deceased girl with the daughter of Kim (22) between March 31 and April 1, 2018.

However, the broadcast suggested the possibility that the switch happened between April 7, when the girl was discharged from the obstetrics hospital, and April 28.

Furthermore, the production team confirmed that Kim returned to the biological father's house on the night of April 23 after postpartum care at her mother Seok's house.

The biological father recalled that after returning from work on April 24, foam blocks to prevent shocks had been installed in the house. This was sent by Seok to the biological father of the deceased girl.

Upon investigating Seok's work schedule, it was found that she worked the night shift from 8:30 PM to 8:00 AM the next day. This meant Seok could have visited the biological father's house before he returned from work. Moreover, it was suspicious that Seok, who was supposed to work the day shift that week, worked the night shift instead on April 24.

Considering these circumstances, the production team suggested that Seok might have switched the girl while the biological father was at work and Kim was asleep on April 24. The biological father speculated, "My mother-in-law cannot drive and would have been absolutely unable to do it alone," implying there might have been accomplices.

'The Secret of Two Mothers, The Tragedy of Two Children - Gumi Child Death Case' The house of Kim Mo (22) featured in the preview of "Unanswered Questions."
[Photo by YouTube 'Unanswered Questions' video capture]

Professor Park Jisun, a social psychologist, said, "There are talks about whether the family members were accomplices or if they knew about it, but looking at the group chat, it seems they really did not know," adding, "Kim, who was known as the biological mother, showed irresponsibility. The best example of Kim's characteristics is her home environment."

Kim's house was piled with heaps of garbage, with unpaid bills for ten months, and electricity and gas had been cut off. Traces of a dead pet dog were also left unattended.

Kim left Madeleine bread, porridge, and a few bottles of milk when she left the house and never returned. Professor Woo Seongho explained, "When someone starves, fat is used as an energy source. In very thin cases, corresponding to starvation death, drying, or mummification, progresses faster," adding, "A high-temperature environment with good ventilation and low humidity must be maintained for such conditions."

Meanwhile, Professor Kim Taekyung, a counseling psychologist, speculated, "There must be a reason to give birth to a child or a justification to switch a child, and looking at the current situation, that justification can only be religion."