[Anchor]

We begin with a tragic story. An 11-year-old boy has been found dead at a church in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. It has been confirmed that there were multiple suspected child abuse reports prior to his death. Notably, it was revealed that the boy went to a police station himself just three days before he died.

Reporter Kim Ji-hoon from TJB has the details.

[Reporter]

Early in the morning, a boy wearing a white sleeveless shirt runs down the street.

He looks back from time to time.

This footage was captured a week before 11-year-old boy A died on the 6th at a church in Cheonan after showing symptoms of high fever and decreased consciousness.

At the time, boy A was found by firefighters and police who had been dispatched following a report that a child was missing, and was handed back over to the church.

[Fire Official: The child, who has an intellectual disability, left home around 6 o'clock, and we went out because it was reported that he 'would not come back.']

Boy A was reportedly left at the church by his biological mother right after birth and had been living there ever since, and was diagnosed with an intellectual disability last year.

In particular, while he was living at the church, suspected child abuse reports had already been made multiple times starting five years ago.

According to TJB reporting, three reports of suspected abuse involving his maternal grandmother were filed before boy A's death, prompting police to launch an investigation.

There were two reports just in the early part of this month, which were filed by citizens who spotted boy A outside the church and suspected abuse.

Notably, it is known that three days before his death, boy A went directly to a police station to appeal that he was being victimized.

Police and city officials discussed ways to transfer boy A to a shelter, but separation measures were ultimately not implemented.

Police have arrested a church pastor in his 60s, identified as B, over concerns of evidence destruction, and have also requested an arrest warrant for the maternal grandmother.

The maternal grandmother had reportedly been living with boy A at the church for several months prior to the incident, acting effectively as his guardian.

The substantive review of the arrest warrant for the maternal grandmother is scheduled to be held at the Cheonan Branch.

(Video by Song Chang-gun / TJB)

TJB, Kim Ji-hoon