A 43-year-old woman was arrested after her stepson was found locked inside a suitcase, unconscious. Reports claim that the 9-year-old boy died following a cardiac arrest inside the suitcase.
The incident occurred at an apartment at Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province in South Korea. The stepmother, whose identity has not been revealed by the police, is accused of torturing her son to death. She was arrested by the Cheonan police on June 4.
The incident came to light when the woman called emergency help around 7.25 p.m. on June 2. She complained that her son was unconscious and needed immediate medical attention. When the paramedics arrived at home, they found the boy inside a suitcase. They informed the police that the boy had cardiac arrest inside the suitcase.
Unconscious, Breaths His Last in Intensive Care
The boy was shifted to a nearby hospital in an unconscious state. He was being treated in the intensive care and he remained unconscious until Wednesday afternoon. Police also said that they found many bruises and wounds on the body of the boy. The boy passed away at 6 p.m. on June 3, said reports.
When questioned, the woman is said to have told the police that she was disciplining the boy by locking him inside the suitcase. She said that she was punishing him for breaking the videogame system. She had asked him to get inside the suitcase and scared, the boy did as the stepmother asked him to.
A report claimed that the boy was inside the suitcase at least for three hours. But Allkpop reported that the mother left him inside the suitcase and went out for at least three hours. The report states that the boy was locked at least for seven hours.
Woman Likely to Face up to 5-year Jail Term
According to Korean law, the accused can be sentenced to three-year jail term for child abuse and if the child is in serious condition. If the child dies of harassment, the accused can be sentenced to more than five years of jail term.
Recently, a video of a woman in her 40s ramming her SUV into a 9-year-old boy in the South Chungcheong Province went viral. The woman was angry as the boy had an argument with her 5-year-old daughter, who chased him and rammed her car, injuring the boy.
