Discovered Only After About 30 Days
It has been confirmed that a mother and child in Daejeon, whose bodies were discovered approximately 20 days after their deaths, had applied for and received emergency living expenses from the local government due to financial hardship.
On July 14, Yonhap News, citing the Seo-gu District Office in Daejeon and the police, reported that the mother, identified as A (65), visited the local administrative welfare center in May and applied for emergency living expenses. The district office provided 1.2 million won per month for two people, distributing the funds three times from May until early July.
The mother, A, in her 60s, and her child, B, in their 30s, had been living in their privately owned apartment since December 2016. As they had previously earned income, they were not eligible for basic livelihood security or housing benefit support. However, the apartment had a mortgage held by a bank, and a credit card company had also placed a provisional seizure on the property.
The estimated time of their deaths is mid-June. Based on the condition of the bodies and analysis of CCTV footage near their home, police believe they died in mid-June. Coincidentally, this was also when the court issued a provisional seizure order on the apartment under A's name. Their bodies were not discovered until July 9, about 20 days later.
An autopsy found no signs of homicide, and police reported that there was no evidence of intrusion by an outsider.
The only family members were A and her child, and neither had mobility issues. They had no disabilities or chronic illnesses, but reportedly lived in isolation, rarely interacting with neighbors.
An official from the Seo-gu District Office told Yonhap News, "During the emergency welfare support consultation, we also informed them about the basic livelihood security system, but they did not apply for it separately," adding, "It is heartbreaking that such a situation occurred even though they received emergency living expenses."
The police believe the two were experiencing financial difficulties, as multiple pieces of mail notifying of water and electricity cutoffs were found, and are investigating the exact cause of death.
※ If you are struggling with depression or difficult issues, or if you know someone who is, you can receive 24-hour counseling from a specialist by calling the suicide prevention hotline at ☎109 or through the suicide prevention SNS counseling service 'Madeleine.'
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
