7-Month-Old Baby Dies After Parents Leave Her Alone At Home For Days

A seven-month-old baby died after her parents left her unattended for a week at their home in South Korea.

The incident came to light June 2, when the baby’s grandfather, who was unable to reach the infant’s mother or father, arrived at the apartment and found the baby dead. He then informed the police, who arrived at the home and noticed scratches on the baby’s body likely caused by the dogs the couple raised. Police took the couple, an 18-year-old woman surnamed Gyeon and a 21-year-old man surnamed Cho, into custody Saturday.

During interrogation, the couple initially told the police that on May 30, they returned from shopping to find the baby with scratches on her body which they believed was inflicted by their pet dogs. The following morning, they woke up to find the infant dead. Police checked the CCTV footage outside the home which revealed that the couple returned home at different times on May 31 and they were not home for seven days.

The couple later confessed they had a fight May 25 after which they left home. Neither of them returned for seven days, assuming the other would have returned home to look after the baby. Gyeon’s social media posts showed the woman drinking with her friends almost every day while the baby was left alone at home. The father, on the other hand, was playing computer games at internet cafes.

Police said though the exact cause of death was not known, initial tests by the National Forensic Service revealed that neither starvation nor external wounds were the cause. The final autopsy report was expected to be out by July.

Gyeon's Facebook posts also revealed the worsening conflict with her husband. In several posts in the last few weeks, Gyeon accused Cho of cheating on her. She also stated that he stayed away from home for several days.

In a post two weeks before the baby’s death, Gyeon wrote, "She's my baby and innocent but I don't like her anymore because I gave birth to her with you.” The investigation was ongoing.