National Forensic Service Conducts Autopsy on Kim Haneul
Teacher’s Health Condition to Determine Execution of Arrest Warrant
The cause of death of 8-year-old Kim Haneul, a first-grade student who was stabbed with a weapon wielded by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, has been confirmed as multiple sharp force injuries.
According to the Daejeon Seobu Police Station on the 12th, the National Forensic Service completed the autopsy on the body that morning and communicated this opinion. "Death due to multiple sharp force injuries" refers to death caused by multiple injuries inflicted by a sharp instrument.
At around 5:50 p.m. on the 10th, A (8), a first-grade student at an elementary school in Seo-gu, Daejeon, was found stabbed with a sharp weapon and in a state of cardiac arrest, but she died. Photo by Yonhap News
Police investigations into 40-year-old female teacher A, suspected of murdering Kim, have also intensified. The previous evening, the police obtained arrest and search warrants for A and reportedly conducted searches of her residence and vehicle. The Daejeon Seobu Police Station has already secured A’s mobile phone from the crime scene and is currently conducting digital forensic analysis.
Since A stated that she has suffered from depression since 2018, authorities plan to obtain hospital medical records to assess her health condition. Although the school was not included in the search warrant, the police sought the school’s consent that day to secure materials related to the teacher.
It is reported that the execution of the arrest warrant requires coordination. Under current law, if a suspect is arrested, a detention warrant must be requested within 48 hours after executing the arrest warrant; however, A is recovering after surgery. If A is unable to attend the warrant hearing due to immobility, procedural issues may arise.
Therefore, the police are said to be consulting with medical staff to execute the arrest warrant at an appropriate time when A is able to move. Even if the execution of the arrest warrant is delayed, if communication with A is possible, the police plan to resume the suspended investigation within today. Based on the autopsy results, the police are expected to confirm the exact cause of death and the method of the crime.
On the 10th, an incident occurred at an elementary school in Seogu, Daejeon, where a teacher in her 40s stabbed and killed 8-year-old elementary student Kim with a weapon. According to the Daejeon police and fire authorities, around 6 p.m. that day, Kim, who was stabbed, and teacher A, who attempted self-harm, were found on the second floor of an elementary school building in Gwanjeo-dong, Seogu, Daejeon. A, who injured her wrist and neck, was transported to a hospital and underwent surgery, and before the surgery, she confessed to the crime. The police investigation was temporarily suspended based on the doctor’s opinion that she needed to rest for 48 hours after surgery.
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