Developmentally disabled teenage son dies in Cheonan... Mother arrested on suspicion of child abuse death (comprehensive)

(Cheonan = Yonhap News) Reporter Byun Sun-jin = A teenage son with severe developmental disabilities died in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, and the police are urgently arresting the mother and investigating.

According to the South Chungcheong National Police Agency and fire department on the 12th, a 119 call was received at 8:27 am on this day from mother A (40s), who said, “My son is not breathing,” at an apartment in Dujeong-dong, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan.

When the ambulance arrived, Son B (15) was in cardiac arrest with no pulse and was taken to the hospital, but died.

After receiving a request from the fire department for a joint response, the police responded and discovered evidence of abuse on Person B's body. At around 10 a.m., Mr. A was urgently arrested at the hospital on charges of child abuse and death.

However, a police official told Yonhap News that "we cannot confirm the specific circumstances of the abuse, such as whether Boy B was tied up, as the investigation is ongoing."

It is reported that Group B, who has an intellectual disability, stayed in a short-term shelter for about a week in the past and returned home after going to the hospital.

It was determined that no report of child abuse had ever been reported for Group B.

As Mr. B lived with his mother and other family members, the police plan to check the details of the case with other family members.

The police plan to conduct an autopsy on Person B's body to determine the exact cause of death, and are considering an application for an arrest warrant for Person A.

After the church child abuse death incident in August, Cheonan City introduced comprehensive measures to prevent recurrence, and conducted a thorough investigation with the police and child protection agencies among the children who were victims of abuse under observation and were raised by third parties, such as relatives or acquaintances.

Among households receiving welfare benefits, the safety of children living with third parties other than their parents or grandparents was also separately checked.

However, Group B families, which had no history of reporting abuse, were raised directly by the mother, and did not receive welfare benefits such as disability allowance, were not included in the inspection target.

An official from Cheonan City explained in a phone call with Yonhap News, "Group B was the first child reported this time, and was not eligible for welfare benefits, so he was not a family managed within the city's welfare system."

In Cheonan, an 11-year-old intellectually disabled child living at a church died after being chained and left unattended on August 5th. In this case, the church pastor and the child's maternal grandmother were arrested and indicted on charges of child abuse and death and are currently on trial.