Mystery of 44-Month-Old Girl's Death... 'Unanswered Questions' Investigates Child Abuse Allegations

In the SBS program 'Unanswered Questions' airing on the 29th, the show tracks suspicions surrounding the sudden death of a 44-month-old child.

On the night of June 28, 2019, a child was transported to an emergency room at a hospital in Seoul. A 119 call had been made four hours earlier due to suspected febrile seizure symptoms, which appeared to have improved, but after a re-report stating the child seemed not to be breathing, the child was transported but ultimately passed away. The deceased child was Su-a (pseudonym), who was 3 years old and 44 months old at the time. Traumatic brain hemorrhage was confirmed, and the cause of death was presumed to be head injury, while suspicions of abuse were raised as dozens of bruises and wounds caused by external force were found all over the body.

Following an investigation, the police closed the internal inquiry, stating that no circumstances of abuse or maltreatment were found. This was because there was no evidence to conclude that the head injury and body wounds were caused by assault from others, while there were circumstances suggesting they could have been caused by self-harm. Su-a had been diagnosed with a Grade 3 intellectual disability and showed aggressive tendencies toward her father and older sister, so she lived at her great-aunt's house; although her stepmother Ms. Park (pseudonym) visited and cared for her, the family explained that Su-a repeatedly engaged in self-harm, such as hitting her own head.

After Su-a's death, abnormal behavior was also observed in her older sister Soobin (pseudonym), who was 5 years old at the time, such as swearing at her parents or picking up a knife. The biological father, Mr. Lee (pseudonym), reported that at the time, Soobin told him, "The stepmother made me do it." More than six years after her younger sister passed away, Soobin confessed that she remembers the stepmother whispering to her to engage in abnormal behavior and also whispering to her younger sister, Su-a. The stepmother's side is refuting the claims, stating that the allegations of abusing the sisters are groundless and are lies by Soobin.

'Unanswered Questions', which tracks the mystery of the 44-month-old girl's death, airs at 11:10 PM this evening.

Korea Social Welfare Journal is striving to deliver press releases and welfare information more easily and accurately with the help of AI technology.