20-month-old dies from malnutrition; biological mother in her 20s detained after saying she is "sorry"

According to The Financial News, a woman in her 20s has been taken into custody on suspicion of neglecting her 20-month-old daughter, leading to the child's death.
According to the legal community on the 8th, Judge Kim Ji-young of the Incheon District Court issued an arrest warrant on the afternoon of the 7th for a woman in her 20s, identified as A, after holding a hearing to review the validity of her arrest warrant on charges of child abuse resulting in death under the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes. The judge stated that the warrant was granted because "there is a risk of flight."
A is accused of leaving her 20-month-old daughter, identified as B, unattended at their home in Namdong District, Incheon, causing the child’s death. Police received a report from one of A’s relatives at around 8 p.m. on the 4th, went to the scene, confirmed that B had died, and then urgently arrested A.
The investigation found that A had been raising two children, including B, on her own without a husband. She was a recipient of basic livelihood, medical, and housing benefits and had been experiencing financial hardship.
After completing an autopsy on B’s body, the National Forensic Service (NFS) gave police an initial oral opinion stating that the child is "presumed to have died from malnutrition."
Before entering the courtroom for the warrant hearing, A was asked by reporters, "Do you feel no remorse toward your baby?" She replied, "I am sorry."


hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter