[Forensic Life] The Life of a Child Taken by a Pseudo-Religious Cult

[Asia Economy] She, who fell into a cult, ran away from home with her 3-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter and headed to the cult facility. Five months after leaving home, on a summer day, her 3-year-old son was abused with a spatula by another male believer. The absurd reason was that the child could not control his urination properly and whined every day, which was believed to be caused by an evil spirit, and that he had to be beaten to drive the evil spirit away. The biological mother only watched. The child was beaten for two hours and then suddenly collapsed, drooping. He was bleeding from his lips and had bruises on his face, neck, and thighs. Instead of taking him to the hospital, she gave him water and only massaged his entire body. When the child called for his mother and said a few words, she tried to feed him rice gruel. The child, who said "Mom, it hurts," vomited and collapsed when the gruel was brought to him, and his lips turned blue. She did not call 119, and the child died as is.

The male believer who assaulted the child suggested simply burying him in a mountain to send him to heaven. She traveled with the man to a rural mountain three hours away and buried the child's body in a corner where livestock were buried. Three days later, after hearing that wild boars appeared in that mountain and villagers reported it to the police, the male believer and she exhumed the child's body and burned it on the spot. The collected ashes were scattered into a nearby river.

A month after the crime, she reported to the police that her son was missing. The police conducted only a simple investigation, and their crime almost became a perfect crime. In 2016, when the police conducted a full survey of preschool children in elementary schools, the crime was uncovered. The prosecution focused on her, who was living in the cult facility, and after a special investigation, obtained a full confession of the crime.

We reviewed the full confession confirmed through the investigation despite the absence of the body. The 3-year-old child was covered with bruises all over his body, vomited, and then collapsed. In this case, two possible causes of death could be inferred.

First, traumatic shock. If there was beating severe enough to cause bruises all over the body, it means blood vessels and tissues were ruptured to the extent visible on the skin. For a 3-year-old child, the blood volume would decrease due to bruising all over the body, and it was judged highly likely to be shock caused by trauma. Such merciless blows to a young child not only rupture blood vessels but also damage tissues, so even if only bruises appear, it is highly possible that a significant amount of blood leaked, causing death.

Second, traumatic brain injury can be inferred. The investigation records mention vomiting, which suggests the possibility of head injury. A child's skull differs from an adult's and can easily fracture or cause brain hemorrhage from impact. Such brain injuries often cause brain edema, increasing intracranial pressure and commonly resulting in symptoms like vomiting. Therefore, considering the record that the 3-year-old victim vomited after being hit and died about two hours later, the possibility of traumatic brain injury can also be actively inferred. It is possible that the 3-year-old victim suffered both traumatic shock and traumatic brain injury as previously estimated.

The first and second trials sentenced the man who beat the child to death to 13 years in prison, sentenced her to 10 years in prison, and also sentenced another believer who participated in the corpse disposal process to imprisonment. It seems the court also shuddered at the pain and cruel abuse of the fragile and young 3-year-old child and thought justice must be served.

Yoo Seong-ho, Forensic Scientist