Infant Neglected 140 Times, Maggots Found on Body... Couple in Their 20s' Child Abuse "Atrocities"

Mother searched for "newborn death insurance payout" and other terms
Couple left their 4-month-old baby alone for 27 hours and 46 minutes

Shock has grown after it emerged that maggots were found on the body of the son of a couple in their 20s, who died after being left unattended for months as a six-month-old baby.

Daejeon District Court. The Asia Business Daily archive

At the trial on charges of murder by child abuse, held on October 26 before the 13th Criminal Division of the Daejeon District Court, presided over by Judge Jang Mingyeong, the prosecutor said, "Maggots were found on the deceased baby's genitals, which were severely inflamed."

The baby's biological father, identified as A, 22, replied, "I found out later." The baby's biological mother, identified as B, 22, claimed, "I think it happened because I didn't change his diaper properly," but added, "I changed it every time I fed him formula."

It also emerged that after the baby died, A asked an artificial intelligence (AI) system, "How much punishment would I face if my child died?" A said he had "searched because I was panicking."

B was found to have searched a portal website over several months, starting about a month after the baby's birth, for terms such as "newborn death insurance payout" and "meaning of starvation." In response to a related question from the prosecutor, B explained, "I searched because of postpartum depression and wanted to find comfort."

It also emerged that in April, the couple left their home for 27 hours and 46 minutes, leaving behind only their Border Collie and their son, who was then four months old.

From December 22, 2025, when their son was just over 10 days old, through July 5, 2026, the couple left him alone at home and neglected him about 140 times in total, including when they went to internet cafes or traveled.

As a result of the repeated neglect, the baby, who weighed 3.62 kg at birth in December 2025, weighed only 3.68 kg when he died on July 5, 2026. That was less than half the average weight of 8.3 kg for a six-month-old boy.

The prosecutor said the couple failed to properly feed the baby even as his weight fell significantly. The prosecutor also argued that they foresaw their son's death, given that they did not take him to a hospital immediately despite his passing bloody stool and having unfocused eyes the day before he died.

However, the couple again denied intent to kill, saying, "We didn't know he would die."

The victim's lawyer argued, "The prosecution's records clearly show that the defendants realized several days before the death that they could be reported for child abuse if the child's condition became known to others." The lawyer added, "Given the condition of the victimized child and other circumstances, the defendants' conditional intent to kill is sufficiently established."

The lawyer also addressed the fact that all of the child's grandparents had submitted statements saying they did not want the defendants punished. "The victim's grandparents are in the dual position of being the defendants' parents," the lawyer said. "It is questionable whether these statements were submitted solely in the interests of the victimized child, and the validity of the statements should be rejected after this point is fully considered."

The court plans to hold one more hearing next month and proceed with closing arguments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.