Pastor referred to prosecutors over death of 11-year-old boy in her care
A pastor accused of abusing an 11-year-old with an intellectual disability was referred to prosecutors after the boy died following alleged restraint at a church.
The pastor, center, accused of child abuse resulting in the death of an 11-year-old boy is transferred from Cheonan Dongnam Police Station in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, to prosecutors on Aug. 14.NEWS1
A church pastor accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy who was in her care, leading to his death, was referred to prosecutors while in custody, the Chungnam Provincial Police Agency said Friday.
The pastor in her 60s was charged with abusing or neglecting the boy with an intellectual disability, who had been placed in her care and lived at the church for several years.
The boy was found with a fever of 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) and impaired consciousness on Aug. 5. A church official called emergency services, and the boy was taken to a hospital, where he died about three hours after the call.
The boy had marks indicating that both his wrists and ankles had been restrained, as well as bruises, when emergency responders arrived, according to data submitted by the National Fire Agency to Democratic Party lawmaker Park Jeong-hyeon.
Police believe the boy had been tied to a bed for more than 30 hours.
As the pastor was transferred to prosecutors Friday, she kept her head down and did not respond to reporters’ questions, including why the boy had been tied to the bed and whether she had been aware of his high fever and signs of dehydration.
Before being taken to the hospital, the boy had left the church on both Aug. 2 and 3. He personally reported to authorities that he had been abused and said that his maternal grandmother, who lives with him at the church, had hit him.
The pastor, center, accused of child abuse resulting in the death of an 11-year-old boy is transferred from Cheonan Dongnam Police Station in Cheonan, South Chungcheong, to prosecutors on Aug. 14.NEWS1
Police and the Cheonan city government, however, did not immediately separate him from his caregivers, citing his psychological state and conditions at available facilities.
A court also rejected a request for a temporary restraining order against his maternal grandmother. It stated that “the necessity of such a measure had not been established.”
The boy died just two days after returning to the church.
The boy had reportedly lived at the church since shortly after birth and had recently been living there with his maternal grandmother.
His maternal grandmother has also been arrested on the same charge and is under investigation. Police expect to wrap up their investigation into her soon and refer her to prosecutors next week.
They are also investigating whether another adult who was living at the church at the time was involved in the alleged abuse.
Police said they will consider whether to bring additional charges once the results of the boy’s autopsy are available.
BY JANG GU-SEUL [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
