Unanswered Questions, the Secret of the 44-Month-Old Stepdaughter's Death Case... Broadcasting on the Night of the 29th

SBS 'Unanswered Questions' will track the secrets hidden behind the sudden death of a 44-month-old child on Saturday, the 29th, at 11:10 PM.

On the night of June 28, 2019, a child was transported to an emergency room at a hospital in Seoul. Four hours earlier, a 119 call was made due to suspected febrile seizure symptoms, but at that time, the child appeared to have improved. Later, a second 119 call was made stating the child did not seem to be breathing, and the transported child ultimately passed away.

Bruises and wounds all over the body, suspicion of abuse

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, and suspicions of abuse were raised as dozens of bruises and wounds, appearing to be caused by external force, were identified all over the body. However, after an investigation, the police closed the internal inquiry on the grounds that no situations of abuse or maltreatment were found. The judgment was that while there was no evidence to conclude that the head injury or body wounds were caused by assault from another person, there were circumstances suggesting they could have been caused by self-harm.

Intellectual disability diagnosis and repeated self-harm

Su-a had been diagnosed with a Grade 3 intellectual disability and was living at her great-aunt's house because she showed aggressive tendencies toward her father or older sister, as if possessed by a ghost. Although the stepmother, Ms. Park (pseudonym), visited and cared for her, the family explained that Su-a also repeatedly engaged in self-harm, such as hitting her own head. One relative shared, "I heard that on that day, Su-a was being extremely stubborn and wouldn't let anyone do anything, so she was rolling around a lot and performing self-harm."

Older sister Soobin's abnormal behavior and late confession

Surprisingly, after Su-a's death, abnormal behavior was also observed in her 5-year-old older sister Soobin (pseudonym). She showed violent behavior, such as swearing at her parents or picking up a knife, and expressed aggression similar to her younger sister Su-a, as if possessed by a ghost, though it is said that the symptoms have now disappeared. The biological father, Mr. Lee (pseudonym), said, "Why did Soobin repeat the same things after Su-a left? At that time, Soobin told me, 'The stepmother made me do it.'" More than six years after her younger sister passed away, the eldest, Soobin, confessed that she remembers the stepmother whispering to her at the time to perform abnormal behaviors and also whispering to her younger sister Su-a. The stepmother's side countered that the claims of abusing the sisters are groundless and are lies by Soobin.

Source: SBS Press Release

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