A Woman in Her 20s with the Intelligence of a 4-Year-Old Due to Severe Stress
The tragedy of a woman in her 20s who regressed to a mental age of 4 after being sexually assaulted by her father's acquaintance and eventually died has been brought back into the spotlight, sparking public outrage.
On the 5th, SBS's "Unanswered Questions" aired a story titled "24 Years Old Becoming 4 Years Old - Scattered Testimonies and Diary," covering the story of A, a university graduate who dreamed of becoming a flight attendant.
According to A's family, A confessed to the assault in November 2021. A, the youngest and only daughter, revealed that she was sexually assaulted by B, a junior colleague of her father whom she had affectionately called "uncle" since childhood. B, who had come to visit their home, said he was tired and wanted to rest for a while, then took A to her room saying she was bored and couldn't sleep.
A's mother claimed, "My daughter screamed and then stood on the veranda to urinate and defecate." Startled, the parents sent B away and tried to calm A. A said she had been sexually assaulted multiple times by B, who had been helping her practice driving, and that she had just been molested in her room moments before.
A's parents immediately reported B to the police. However, after that day, A's condition rapidly deteriorated. She was unable to communicate to the point she could not recognize her parents, whispered incomprehensible words with a dazed expression, and showed childlike behavior. Due to extreme stress, A's cognitive ability regressed to the level of a 4- to 5-year-old, and she was eventually hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.
However, B claimed that he did not forcibly take A to a motel nor was there any coercive sexual activity. He also mentioned that A had received psychiatric treatment for another issue about a year before the incident, suggesting that a pre-existing mental illness might have coincidentally worsened around the same time.
Although A's testimony was needed, she passed away in August last year at the age of 24. After being discharged from the psychiatric hospital, her condition seemed to improve gradually thanks to her parents' devoted care, but she took her own life in June last year after unexpectedly encountering B at a supermarket.
With A's death preventing the securing of the victim's testimony, the prosecution faced difficulties in the investigation. However, through the parents' efforts to record whenever their daughter's memories briefly returned, a diary found during the process of organizing her belongings, a handwritten memo about one and a half pages long, and black box footage from the victim's vehicle, B's criminal acts were uncovered and he was brought to trial.
Meanwhile, the Nonsan branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors' Office arrested and indicted B in June on charges including rape causing injury, forced molestation causing injury, and defamation of the deceased. The first trial is currently underway.
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