A father in China has rejected a 500,000-yuan (US$69,000) compensation offer from a massage parlour where his son’s naked body was found, claiming the business is a front for a brothel and did not seek medical help in time.
The man’s 29-year-old son, surnamed Yan, died mysteriously at a foot massage parlour in Wuhan in central China’s Hubei province on June 2, according to a report by Hubei Media Group.
Yan, who has a baby daughter, visited the parlour alone at 5:26am on June 2, paid for a 329 yuan (US$45) Thai massage service and was declared dead 17 hours later when a funeral parlour took his body away, his father said.
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“My son was in good health, 29 years old, in his prime and with no underlying diseases or bad habits. He walked into the parlour in the morning, and by evening, he was found dead, completely naked.
“I suspect this parlour secretly provides sex services,” said the father, whose name was not mentioned in the report.
A friend of Yan’s, who had been a parlour customer, also claimed that the business provided sexual services.
Yan’s father also claimed the parlour delayed seeking medical help for his son and reporting the incident to the police.
After viewing surveillance footage from the parlour, Yan’s father said: “At 19:43, the staff noticed something unusual. They came to my son’s room very flustered. They were wearing white gloves, carrying a plastic bag, and went in and out four times. What exactly were they doing in there?”
A subsequent offer of compensation of 500,000 yuan for his son’s death was rejected by his father, who said that Yan’s daughter is only a few months old and the cost of raising her would far exceed the amount offered.
He said he was considering hiring a lawyer to negotiate a proper compensation plan with the parlour.
The cause of Yan’s death has not been publicly revealed, and the massage parlour remains closed. However, a preliminary investigation by local police has ruled out any criminality.
“If the family has any objections, they can request an autopsy,” a police spokesperson said.
After local media reported the story, there was an outpouring of public sympathy for Yan’s widow and speculation that Yan was paying for illegal sex services when he died.
One person said in an online comment: “The man who left his six-month-old kid and his breastfeeding wife to ‘enjoy himself’ at a massage spa and suddenly died from excessive excitement.”
Another person said: “His wife had given birth and was breastfeeding, and he went whoring, but his father still claims he had no ‘bad habits’?”
“The compensation should all go to his wife and daughter. Yan’s father, please don’t fight for it. Don’t ‘invite’ criticism!” another person wrote.
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