11-Year-Old Found Dead After Being Brought From Church... Witness Says "He Was Tied to a Bed"

Police have launched an investigation after an 11-year-old child was found unconscious at a church in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and ultimately died.

According to the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency today (August 8), police are considering applying charges of child abuse resulting in death against three adults who had been living with the deceased boy, identified as A, at the church.

Around 8:50 a.m. on August 5, boy A showed symptoms of a high fever and impaired consciousness at the church and was transported to a hospital by 119 emergency services, but passed away about three hours later.

Fire authorities were dispatched to the scene following a report from the church stating that "the child is sick," and three adults were present with boy A at the church at the time.

As a result of police requesting an autopsy from the National Forensic Service, the preliminary verbal findings showed no specific signs such as fractures, but police are closely examining the fact that boy A showed symptoms of dehydration at the time of transport and that visible wounds were identified on parts of his body.

In particular, having secured a witness statement saying that "the child was tied to a bed," police are intensively questioning the adults who were at the church at the time to determine whether any abuse took place.

The deceased boy A had reportedly lived exclusively at this church since birth, while his maternal grandmother and others visited the church intermittently.

Meanwhile, police confirmed that upon the rescue, emergency services requested admission at six general hospitals in the Cheonan area but could not find available beds, leading to him being transported to Sejong City, which is an hour away, and are also looking into the circumstances behind the delayed emergency room acceptance.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.