Conflict and discord during Hwatu card game
Police decide not to prosecute due to suspect's death
The police have identified the culprit in the 'Boknal pesticide poisoning incident' that occurred in Bonghwa-gun, Gyeongbuk. However, since the identified suspect has died, the prosecution rights have been lost, and a decision not to prosecute is expected.
On the 30th, the police officially announced that the deceased grandmother, Ms. A (85 years old, deceased), was the suspect in this case. Before the incident, Ms. A was seen entering the senior center alone when no one else was present, and a search of her residence revealed granule-shaped pesticides scattered in the yard and around the house. Although the police could not determine the direct motive due to Ms. A's death, they found that there had been conflicts and discord among the senior center members during Hwatu card games.
Earlier, on July 15, the first day of the Boknal period, 41 members of the Naeseong 4-ri senior center in Bonghwa-eup, Bonghwa-gun, had lunch in the village with duck meat and other dishes, then moved to the senior center. Four women in their 60s to 80s who drank coffee at the senior center between July 15 and 16 complained of pain and were transported to the hospital. Analysis by the National Forensic Service detected organophosphates such as etofenprox and terbufos, which are pesticide components. Etofenprox is a commonly used insecticide for repelling mosquitoes and flies with low toxicity, while terbufos is a highly toxic pesticide.
All four victims who showed symptoms of pesticide poisoning were admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit. Among them, three were discharged between July 25 and 29, but one remains unconscious and is still receiving treatment.
According to the police, after lunch, the victims shared coffee contained in beverage bottles at the senior center, and pesticide components were detected in the beverage bottles and paper cups containing the coffee after the incident.
The reason the police identified Ms. A as the suspect is that most victims showed symptoms on July 15 and 16, while Ms. A only began to show symptoms on July 18, the fourth day after the incident. The results of Ms. A's gastric lavage revealed pesticides different from those found in other victims. The National Forensic Service's analysis showed that the pesticide components detected in Ms. A's gastric lavage fluid had different isotope ratios from those detected in the beverage bottles at the senior center, indicating they were different substances.
On the other hand, the granule-shaped pesticides found in Ms. A's yard and around her house during the search had the same isotope ratios as those in the beverage bottles, confirming they were the same. Ms. A's condition worsened while receiving treatment at a hospital in Bonghwa on July 18, and she was transferred to Andong Hospital, where she died on the 30th of the same month.
Previously, the police had suspected Ms. A because, unlike the four victims, she did not drink the coffee and her symptoms appeared later. However, since the suspect has died, the exact motive for the crime remains unknown.
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