Incheon 11-Year-Old Elementary Student's Death CCTV Released Two Days Before
Thigh Wound and Suspected Burn on Anus
SBS 'Geural' Investigates Death Mystery
Incheon elementary school student A (11) passed away due to habitual abuse by his stepmother and biological father, and CCTV footage capturing his appearance two days before his death has been released.
On the 18th, SBS's investigative program Unanswered Questions (hereafter 'UQ') aired an episode titled "Five Years of Hell - The Mystery of the Death of an Incheon Elementary School Student," covering the case of A (11), who died from abuse last month, and revealed CCTV footage from near and inside the home.
Photos of 11-year-old A, an elementary school student in Incheon, one year before his death (far left) and one month before his death. [Photo source=SBS 'Geugeos-i Algo Sipda' capture]
According to the footage, A's face was covered with pants, and his arms and legs were tied to a chair. The stepmother bound A with curtain cords and monitored him through a 'home cam.'
The stepmother reportedly hurled insults and verbal abuse through the home cam speaker and woke him at 5 a.m. to force him to copy the Bible. A was tied up alone in this state for a total of 16 hours from 5 p.m. on the 5th to 9 a.m. on the 6th of last month.
CCTV footage from a convenience store near the house showed A going to the store around 4 p.m. on the 6th to buy a drink. He sat blankly drinking the beverage, then went to the window to look around, displaying extreme anxiety.
The UQ production team compared photos of A taken one year and one month before his death, noting that his once bright face had noticeably wasted away and his expression had darkened. His face muscles sagged with a vacant expression.
On the 7th, A arrived at an emergency room in Incheon in cardiac arrest. At the time, he was 149 cm tall and weighed 29.5 kg, wearing dirty clothes made of thin underwear material inappropriate for the season.
Skin Deformation and Dozens of Puncture Wounds on Thigh
A's body was covered with bruises of varying ages, and dozens of puncture wounds from sharp objects were found on his thighs. Skin deformation suspected to be burns was observed near the anus, and the cause of death was multiple blunt force trauma.
Medical staff suspected child abuse as extensive bleeding occurred under the skin due to prolonged repeated beating and immediately reported the case.
The Incheon District Prosecutors' Office Women and Children Crime Investigation Division (Chief Gu Mi-ok) arrested and indicted the stepmother on charges including child abuse resulting in death under the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes on the 7th, and the biological father on charges including habitual child abuse under the Child Welfare Act.
Following supplementary investigation by the prosecution, it was revealed that the stepmother abused A over 40 times, including stabbing him with a pencil and tying him to a chair with his eyes covered. The biological father is also accused of habitual abuse, neglect, and abandonment of A over the past year.
"Did Not Hit This Year"
During initial police investigations, the biological father and stepmother denied the abuse, claiming the bruises on A's body were self-inflicted injuries, but eventually admitted to some acts of violence after persistent questioning.
At the time of prosecution transfer last month, the stepmother stated, "I started hitting him in January last year because he did not listen," and "On the day of his death, I pushed A, and when he did not get up, I contacted my husband." The biological father admitted to the abuse but said, "I did not hit him this year."
Earlier, the UQ production team confirmed during their investigation that A had been receiving psychiatric treatment and prescribed medication.
Five years ago, A's parents divorced, and afterward, the stepmother was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and received counseling at a hospital, which prescribed psychiatric medication to the child based on the stepmother's statements.
The production team reported that A, who went to study alone in the Philippines in the second grade of elementary school, was repeatedly told by his parents before leaving that if he did not behave well, he would be sent to the Philippines. Experts explained this as emotional abuse.
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