SEOUL: Police twice closed preliminary inquiries into the 2019 death of a three-year-old girl without opening a criminal investigation. Her body was covered in bruises, capsaicin was found in her blood, and a forensic report said abuse could not be ruled out.
Details of the police response were contained in a 2019 Seoul Seongbuk Police Station report cited by Yonhap News Agency on Tuesday (Sept 15).
The 44-month-old girl died on June 28, 2019. The National Forensic Service found that a head injury played a major role in her death, along with severe dehydration and a broader deterioration in her health.
The agency could not determine how the head injury occurred and found no clear evidence of another person’s involvement.
It also questioned whether the girl could have consumed a substantial amount of capsaicin by herself and said abuse could not be completely ruled out.
Police interviewed about 30 people, including the girl’s parents, relatives and neighbors, before closing the inquiry.
They cited examinations of family members’ phones and surveillance footage that did not indicate abuse.
Family members also said the girl, who had an intellectual disability, had inflicted the bruises on herself.
However, the police report closing the 2019 inquiry made no mention of the capsaicin found in her blood.
The case resurfaced after the girl’s stepmother was investigated over two alleged incidents of abuse involving the girl’s older sister.
Police referred the stepmother to prosecutors in December 2025. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to indict her.
The older sister told investigators that the stepmother had tied her up, confined her and at times prevented her from sleeping. She also alleged that the stepmother assaulted her, once breaking her teeth.
During questioning in 2024, the sister said she remembered the stepmother forcing the younger girl to consume hot sauce as punishment.
Following media coverage, the Seoul Seongbuk Police Station reopened a preliminary inquiry into the younger girl’s death. It closed the case again in April without launching a formal investigation.
Police said they found no new evidence of criminal involvement in the death and that it was separate from the alleged abuse of the older sister.
The girl’s father filed a request with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sept 7, asking it to review whether the case should have been closed.
He said further investigation was needed into how his daughter consumed capsaicin and sustained injuries across her body.
If the request is accepted, a committee of outside experts may recommend further investigation or transferring the case to another police unit.
Its decision is not legally binding, although police would be expected to provide a valid reason for rejecting it. - The Korea Herald/ANN
