Teenage Girl Found Dead with Bruises All Over Body at Incheon Church... "Possible Abuse"

Autopsy Preliminary Oral Opinion "Suspected Pulmonary Embolism"
Police File Arrest Warrant for Mr. B on Child Abuse Charges

An autopsy revealed the possibility that a high school girl who was transported to the hospital covered in bruises from a church and later died may have been abused.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency on the 17th, the National Forensic Service conducted an autopsy on the body of high school girl A (17), who was found dead with bruises all over her body the previous day, and delivered a preliminary verbal opinion to the police stating, "The cause of death is presumed to be pulmonary embolism," and "There is a possibility of abuse." Pulmonary embolism is a condition where blood clots or other foreign substances block the pulmonary artery.

The police applied for an arrest warrant this afternoon for B, a woman in her 50s and a church member, who was urgently detained the previous day on suspicion of abusing A (child abuse under the Child Welfare Act). They are also conducting additional investigations to determine whether B's abusive actions are causally related to A's death.

B's pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing) is scheduled to be held at the Incheon District Court as early as the 18th.

A police official stated, "Pulmonary embolism is a symptom that appears when the body is tied up for a long time (with something like a rope) or unable to move for an extended period," and added, "Based on the secured evidence and the National Forensic Service's opinion, we applied for B's arrest warrant today."

B is suspected of abusing A, who lived together with her at a church in Incheon. On the evening of the 15th around 8 p.m., B herself called 119, reporting, "A lost consciousness while eating," and A was transported to the hospital but died four hours later.

When the police arrived, A was found collapsed in a room inside the church, covered in bruises all over her body. A was wearing protective guards on both wrists, and there were also signs of being bound.

However, the church side claimed, "A used to self-harm, so B tied her wrists with a handkerchief," and insisted, "The bruises are also signs of self-harm."