Leaving Child Alone While Visiting Ex-Husband... Body Abandoned After Death
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Following the death of their 15-month-old daughter, a postmortem examination report from the National Forensic Service (NFS) was released regarding the suspicion that the body had been concealed for three years. The infant's body was determined to have an unknown cause of death due to decomposition. The hole found in the skull was revealed to have occurred postmortem.
On the 6th, the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency announced that they had received the autopsy results from the NFS, which stated that the cause of death was undetermined due to decomposition.
Previously, there had been speculation that the hole in the child's skull might be related to the cause of death. In response, the NFS stated, "Considering the shape of the edges of the skull hole, it is presumed to have occurred after death."
The Uijeongbu District Court conducted a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review) for Seo Mo (34), the child's biological mother, and her ex-husband Choi Mo (29). On the 23rd of last month, the police filed charges against Seo for concealment of a corpse and violation of the Child Welfare Act, and against Choi for concealment of a corpse.
Seo is suspected of neglecting her 15-month-old daughter to death at their home in Pyeongtaek City in January 2020 and abandoning the body for three years. At that time, Seo reportedly neglected childcare by leaving the young daughter alone for extended periods while visiting her husband Choi, who was incarcerated. The daughter had been sick with fever and vomiting for about a week before her death, but Seo allegedly did not take her to a hospital and left her unattended.
After his release, Choi is believed to have stored the daughter's body on the rooftop of his family home in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
They are also suspected of fraudulently receiving approximately 3 million won each in childcare allowances from local governments even after their daughter's death.
Seo faces four charges: habitual child abandonment and neglect under the Child Welfare Act, child abandonment and neglect under the Child Welfare Act, concealment of a corpse, and violation of the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and the Discovery of Beneficiaries. Choi faces two charges: concealment of a corpse and violation of the Act on the Use and Provision of Social Security Benefits and the Discovery of Beneficiaries.
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