A grandmother in her 50s, accused of leaving her 11-year-old grandson tied with a chain for 38 hours at a church in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, causing his death, has been indicted and will stand trial in custody.
On the 9th, the Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office said it indicted in custody the grandmother, identified as B, on charges including child abuse resulting in death in connection with the death of A, an 11-year-old boy.
B is accused of restraining A for a long time and leaving him unattended at a church in Cheonan on the 5th of last month, causing his death.
At the time, A's body temperature rose to 41.5 degrees Celsius, and he was taken to a hospital with reduced consciousness but died about three hours later. Medical staff found signs of abuse on A's body and reported it to police.
The investigation found that A had been restrained for about 38 hours so he could not leave the church. Except for time to eat or use the restroom, he was found to have been left tied to a bed with a chain.
Earlier, on the 1st, prosecutors also indicted in custody C, a pastor in his 60s at the church, on the same charges.
Prosecutors said they confirmed indications that additional abuse occurred between late July and early August, before A died, and added a charge of child abuse against B.
A prosecutor said, "After receiving the case from police, we identified the substance of the crime through searches and seizures of residences, integrated psychological analysis, and forensic consultations," adding, "We will convene a child abuse case management meeting to discuss measures and institutional improvements to prevent a recurrence."
In addition to B and C, who have already been indicted in custody, police are continuing to investigate whether additional crimes were committed and whether others were involved among people who lived at the scene or at the church at the time.