<Anchor>



There have been three reports of suspected abuse in connection with the death of a 16-month-old baby who had been brought to the emergency room with a bruise and fracture.

As we reported further, testimonies from acquaintances came out that there were signs of abnormalities in child care from the first half of this year. 



Reporter Kang Min-woo reports exclusively.



<Reporter>



A 16-month-old girl A, who was transferred to the hospital's emergency room on the 13th, died.



Reports of child abuse were received in May, June, and September as well, but the police and child protection agencies heard the explanations of parents and decided that it was difficult to see it as abuse.



However, as a result of the SBS interview, it was confirmed that there were voices of concern about the abuse situation among neighboring acquaintances such as the childcare facility where Ms. A attended and neighbors.



The report received in June was a report from an acquaintance that the child was left in the car, and Mother A stated that she had left the other child in the car for more than 10 minutes to leave the other child in the academy, and the police closed the case without charge.



However, one acquaintance said that when Ms. A's mother went to a restaurant or came to a meeting, she often left her child in the car and left it alone. When a guest came home, she left Ms. A alone in the room and closed the door.



She also said that she was puzzled because her eyes were red or face wounds were often found.



There was already a concern from nearby acquaintances, but the records of the investigation by the specialized child protection agency did not indicate that they had heard the statements of those around them.



[Gong Hye-jeong/CEO of the Korea Child Abuse Prevention Association: In the field investigation manual, there is a'surrounding investigation'.

Investigation into a third



party

or surrounding circumstances is essential.] While

the exact cause of the death of Miss A has not yet been revealed, the police announced that they would form a dedicated team to diagnose whether the past case was handled properly, and to conduct a re-investigation.



(Video coverage: Seol Min-hwan, video editing: Jang Hyun-ki, CG: Choi Hae-ne)