A 3-year-old has died in a suspected child abuse case after suffering a severe head injury that left him in a coma, officials said Wednesday.
Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police said the hospital had notified them that the child had died while receiving treatment.
Authorities said they suspect foul play and plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. Depending on the findings, the charges could be reclassified as child abuse resulting in death or even murder, according to officials.
The young boy was taken to a hospital after being found injured at an apartment in Yangju, Gyeonggi Province, on Thursday. He underwent brain surgery but remained unconscious.
Medical staff who treated the child reported the case to authorities, citing suspected abuse and signs of head trauma, which is an injury to the scalp, skull or brain caused by an external physical force.
Police launched an investigation and detained the child's parents, who are both in their 20s. The father was arrested on Saturday over concerns of fleeing and destruction of evidence.
A forensic review of the parents’ phones indicated possible abuse, but the findings have not been directly linked to the head injury, according to officials.
The father has denied the allegations, claiming he heard a thud and found the child convulsing when he checked on him.
Meanwhile, authorities received a separate complaint of suspected abuse involving the same child in December, but no charges were filed. At the time, police and the local government’s child protection unit said there was no clear evidence of severe abuse.
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