Cheonan: Prosecutors on Wednesday indicted a woman in her 50s on charges of fatally abusing her 11-year-old grandson. The Cheonan branch of the Daejeon District Prosecutors Office said it referred the woman, whose identity was withheld, to trial after arresting her on charges of child abuse resulting in death.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the woman is accused of causing her grandson's death by tying him to a bed at a church in Cheonan, about 80 kilometers south of Seoul, on Aug. 5 and leaving him unattended. The boy had a high fever of 41.5 C and a reduced level of consciousness and died about three hours after being transported to a hospital.
Prosecutors previously indicted a church pastor in their 60s on the same charges on Sept. 1, while keeping the pastor in custody. Prosecutors suspect that the boy was tied to the bed for a total of 38 hours.
The suspects may have restrained the boy to prevent him from leaving the church, prosecutors said, adding he was left chained to the bed except when eating or using the restroom. Prosecutors also said they uncovered evidence suggesting additional abuse that occurred between late July and early August, before the boy's death.