A man in his 30s has been arrested on charges of child abuse resulting in death after leaving his 17-month-old daughter home alone while going to work and neglecting her, feeding her formula only twice a day.
Judge Kim Gyu-hwa, the warrant judge at the Pyeongtaek Branch of the Suwon District Court, conducted a warrant review for the suspect, identified as A, who faces charges of child abuse resulting in death, and issued an arrest warrant today (October 30), citing concerns that he may flee or destroy evidence.
A is accused of leaving his 17-month-old daughter, B, alone at their home in Pyeongtaek after his wife left following a marital dispute earlier this month, failing to properly care for her for about 10 days by leaving her alone while going to work and providing formula only twice a day, ultimately leading to her death.
Around 10:00 PM the night before yesterday (October 28), A directly called 119, reporting that "the baby is not breathing."
Although no apparent physical trauma, such as assault, was found on the body of the child upon arrival at the hospital, medical staff and firefighters suspected severe malnutrition, as she was significantly thinner than peers. Prompted by a joint response request from authorities, police questioned A and, after obtaining a partial admission regarding the neglect, urgently arrested him.
During police questioning, A reportedly stated, "I had no one to look after the child, so I left her alone and went to work," adding, "I fed her formula about twice a day, once before leaving for work and once after returning."
Typically, infants around 17 months old have been weaned off formula, consume solid foods or toddler meals at least three times a day, and are beginning to walk. Police reportedly determined that providing only formula twice around his work schedule without regular meals could not be considered proper nutritional supply.
The Women and Youth Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency has requested an autopsy on the child's body from the National Forensic Service to verify the exact cause of death, including whether malnutrition was a factor. Meanwhile, police also plan to investigate the biological mother, who had left the house, regarding the circumstances of the incident and whether she shares responsibility for the neglect.
Reported by Son Hyeong-an | Video by Seo Byeong-wook | Graphics by Lee Su-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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