Why did 44-month-old Sua die?
The episode of SBS's "Unanswered Questions" broadcast on August 29 investigated the truth behind the sudden death of a 44-month-old child.
On June 28, 2019, 44-month-old Sua was rushed to an emergency room. An initial call to the 119 emergency services had been made due to suspected febrile seizures, but Sua's condition was reported to have improved afterward. However, a second call was made stating that the child had stopped breathing, and the child ultimately passed away after being transported to the hospital.
Traumatic intracranial hemorrhage was confirmed, and the cause of death was determined to be a head injury. However, medical staff at the time discovered dozens of bruises and wounds across Sua's entire body that appeared to have been caused by external force, raising suspicions of child abuse.
Nevertheless, the police closed the internal investigation without charges, stating that no evidence of abuse or harsh treatment was found. They reached this conclusion on the grounds that there was insufficient evidence to determine the bodily injuries were caused by another person's assault, while circumstances suggesting self-harm did exist.
The family described Sua, who was diagnosed with Level 3 intellectual disability, as being "possessed by ghosts." They stated that she had exhibited aggressive behavior toward family members, engaged in self-harm, and displayed abnormal behavior, which led her to live at her great-aunt's house until her eventual death.
However, after Sua died, her older sister Subin, who was 5 years old at the time, also began exhibiting abnormal behavior. Subin displayed actions similar to those Sua had shown. Subin became a source of concern as she directed hostility toward her parents, swearing at them and threatening them with a knife. Yet, six years later, those symptoms have completely disappeared.
Subin, however, made a shocking confession. She revealed that back then, her stepmother had whispered into her ear, instructing her to perform the abnormal behaviors. She also stated that the stepmother whispered to her younger sister Sua as well, and Sua would always act out abnormally right after the whispering.
However, the stepmother claimed that allegations of abuse against the children are groundless and that everything Subin said is a lie.
After separating from his ex-wife, the sisters' father formed a relationship in 2017 with a university junior, Ms. Park. The two subsequently remarried and lived a happy life. However, due to Sua's abnormal behavior, the family's happiness did not last long.
The stepmother was reportedly kind to Subin while Sua was still alive. But after Sua's death, the stepmother whispered instructions to Subin, telling her to engage in abnormal actions such as "Curse at your dad, spit at your dad." She gave these whispered commands almost daily, and whenever Subin stopped acting out, she would whisper again to make her resume the disturbances.
Subin's shocking testimony did not stop there. She stated that whenever she spoke formally or politely to her mother, the stepmother would bend and break her fingers one by one. She was then instructed to tell her father that she was injured at a taekwondo academy.
In response, Subin's maternal aunt asserted that everything was the children's fault, arguing, "That behavior happened because of ADHD," and adding, "She is a child who needs treatment. They are troubled sisters."
The maternal aunt also sparked shock by claiming that Subin had attempted to stab her stepmother with a knife. However, Subin stated that her stepmother had assaulted her simply out of annoyance, breaking her tooth, and subsequently confined her while depriving her of sleep. She further alleged that to prevent her from opening the door and leaving, her arms and legs were tied behind her back.
At the time, Subin was unable to ask for help because her father was abroad. Subin recounted that her stepmother would give her cold rice or starve her altogether, or deliberately feed her spicy food without giving her water. She also stated that the stepmother locked the master bathroom door, causing her to have accidents, and forced her to ingest her own excrement when accidents occurred.
Subin testified that she eventually pulled a knife on her mother because she was suffering so much.
Regarding this, an expert commented, "There is a possibility of contamination in the statement. However, it is difficult to view the entire testimony as false. If she had attempted to confabulate, the statement would have been much smoother." The expert added, "If abuse of the eldest child is acknowledged, it serves as a sufficient basis to suspect subsequent abuse against the second child," emphasizing the importance of Subin's testimony.
Subin currently says she has no memory regarding Sua's death. However, Subin's past statement at the Sunflower Center following Sua's death was nothing short of shocking.
Subin let out a deep sigh as soon as Sua was brought up. Subin said that after it was claimed Sua went to the United States due to her abnormal behavior, the stepmother sent Sua to her great-aunt's house, saying, "You need some discipline."
Subin recounted, "If you weren't polite, the great-aunt would become terrifying like a ghost. If you held a heavy book and dropped it, or if it touched your head, you got beaten, and you got beaten if you made a sound. We were hit with a shoehorn, and she also made us eat spicy food." She added, "She fed her hot sauce because she wouldn't listen. Mom fed her spoonful after spoonful while Sua suffered in agony."
Subin also described the circumstances surrounding Sua's death: "Sua collapsed in pain. Her eyes literally rolled back. The maternal aunt came and called 119, but then suddenly canceled the 119 call. Then suddenly 119 came again. And that was the end."
An expert expressed regret, noting, "She answered follow-up questions about being fed spicy food and about 119, and this cannot be considered a statement made solely from a child's imagination. It would have been better if two or three additional investigative attempts had been made back then."
Capsaicin was detected in Sua's body at the time of her death. An expert pointed out, "The level is higher than what a healthy adult would show even after consuming a large amount. A significant amount of capsaicin must have entered her system within a short period before her death."
The expert also drew attention by suggesting that Sua may not have actually had an intellectual disability.
The expert explained, "If a normally developing child experiences developmental regression, an underlying medical condition is suspected. However, medical examinations revealed that there was no underlying condition."
The expert continued with regret, "Maintaining a calm state before exhibiting abnormal behavior is called acting out, and what induces it is a trigger point; however, the parents failed to control the factors that triggered self-harming behavior."
The expert added that while it is possible some wounds on the child's body resulted from self-harm, analyzing the locations of Sua's injuries means the possibility of abuse cannot be ruled out.
Furthermore, the expert stated, "In the CBCL test that evaluates infant and child behavior, which is completed by the mother, the score submitted by the stepmother for Sua was 100 points. This is a desperate cry of suffering from a caregiver raising the child, which raises suspicions of maternal depression."
Through reporting, the production team was also able to hear accounts suggesting suspected abuse by the stepmother from the caregiver and daycare teachers who looked after the child at the time.
The stepmother constantly filmed Sua's abnormal behaviors and uploaded them to social media. Regarding this, an expert pointed out the possibility of factitious disorder, saying, "This can be viewed as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. While Munchausen syndrome involves inducing illness in oneself and seeking medical care, here a desire is visible for the stepmother to make the child sick so that she can act as an 'angel of mercy' caring for a sick child."
The expert added, "She used social media to gain deep psychological satisfaction from presenting herself as a kind stepmother caring for a child abandoned by her biological mother due to abnormal behavior."
Finally, Subin evoked sorrow by stating, "If Mom sincerely reflected and apologized, I was willing to drop the complaints and act as if none of it happened," adding, "I hope Mom receives punishment. If she needs to go to prison, I hope she goes and reflects on what she did."
(Editor Kim Hyo-jeong)
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