Guardian of developmentally disabled teenager who died in Cheonan: “I tied him up because he didn’t listen to me”

(Cheonan = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-hyung = Regarding the death of Group A, a teenager suffering from severe developmental disabilities in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, it was confirmed that Group A's guardian told the dispatched firefighters, "I tied him up because he was not listening to me."

According to Yonhap News' coverage on the 13th, a 119 call was received from a mother in her 40s, Ms. B, who said, "My son is not breathing," at an apartment in Dujeong-dong, Northwest District, Cheonan City, at 8:27 a.m. the previous day.

Person A (15) was taken by paramedics to a nearby university hospital in a state of cardiac arrest with no pulse, but he died.

It was discovered that the paramedics found traces of binding of Person A's hands and feet and requested a joint response from the police.

It is reported that Group A's guardian stated to the paramedics at the time, "(Person A) was disobedient, so we tied his hands and feet to prevent him from acting aggressively."

Medical staff, including an emergency medicine professor who checked on Person A, also discovered evidence of abuse on Person A's body, and the police who were dispatched to the hospital arrested Mr. B at the hospital at around 10 a.m. on charges of child abuse and death.

However, it has not yet been confirmed what Group A was tied to.

According to the police, Person A usually stayed at home with other family members in addition to Person B.

The police requested the National Institute of Forensic Science to perform an autopsy on Mr. A and are considering an application for an arrest warrant for Mr. B.

Other family members are also being investigated for abuse, but it has been confirmed that no additional people have been booked to date.

A police official said, "As this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot reveal details, but we are investigating the circumstances of the abuse of Person A and are investigating Mr. B, other family members, and related personnel. However, we have not been able to determine the cause of Person A's death to date."

He added, “It is expected that it will take about three weeks to find out the exact cause of death.”

According to Cheonan City, Group A was diagnosed with a severe developmental disability, but did not receive welfare benefits such as disability allowance.

Although the family mainly raised Child A directly, it was found that there had been no unusual incidents, such as reports of abuse.