High School Girl Found Dead with Bruises All Over Her Body... Suspect in Abuse Case Appears for Detention Hearing

High School Girl Entrusted to Mother's Acquaintance After Father's Death
"Cause of Death Presumed Pulmonary Embolism... Possibility of Abuse Exists"

A high school girl covered in bruises appeared in public for the first time as a suspect in an abuse case after being transported from a church to a hospital and subsequently dying.

On the afternoon of the 18th, Ms. A, a woman in her 50s accused of child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, entered the Incheon District Court for a pre-arrest detention hearing (warrant review).

Regarding the case of a high school girl with bruises all over her body who died after being transported to the hospital from a church, a female church member in her 50s suspected of abuse is entering the Incheon District Court on the afternoon of the 18th for a pre-arrest suspect interrogation (warrant hearing).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Ms. A, who got off a police van, wore a hat and mask to minimize facial exposure. She staggered as if her legs were weak and shook her head from side to side when reporters asked, "Do you admit to the abuse charges?"

She remained silent when asked, "Did you not know the victim would die?" and "Why did the bruises appear?" The warrant review was scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. that day, with a decision on detention expected later in the afternoon.

Ms. A is accused of abusing Ms. B (17), who lived with her for two months at a church in Incheon. Ms. B was entrusted to Ms. A, an acquaintance of her mother, starting in March after her father passed away in January.

After moving from Sejong City, where she lived with her mother, to Incheon, Ms. B did not register her new residence or attend school, according to investigations.

On the evening of the 15th around 8 p.m., Ms. A herself called 119 emergency services, reporting that "Ms. B lost consciousness while eating," adding, "She had recently been eating poorly, and food is coming out of her mouth now." Ms. B was transported to the hospital but died four hours later.

When police arrived, Ms. B was found collapsed in a room inside the church, her entire body bruised. She was wearing wrist guards on both wrists, and there were signs of restraint. Based on this, police believed Ms. B had been abused before her death and urgently arrested Ms. A in the early hours of the 16th.

However, the church claimed, "Ms. B often self-harmed, and Ms. A had tied her wrists with a handkerchief," asserting that the bruises were self-inflicted marks.

The National Forensic Service conducted an autopsy on Ms. B’s body and provided 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 arteries.

A police official said, "Pulmonary embolism symptoms can appear when the body is tied up (with something like a rope) for a long time or unable to move for extended periods," adding, "We plan to apply for Ms. A’s arrest warrant based on the evidence collected and the National Forensic Service’s opinion."

Meanwhile, the police will also focus their investigation on whether Ms. A’s abusive actions are causally related to Ms. B’s death.