A nine-year-old boy who was put in a suitcase by his stepmother and trapped there for seven hours has died.
The South Chungcheong Provincial Police Agency said Thursday that the boy, identified only as A, died around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at a hospital in Cheonan. The cause of death was presumed to be cardiopulmonary arrest resulting from multi-organ failure.
A’s death comes two days after he was transported to the hospital upon being discovered inside a suitcase measuring 44 centimeters long and 60 centimeters wide. At the time of discovery, A’s heart was not beating.
Police found that A had been trapped inside the suitcase for roughly seven hours before being transported to the hospital.
Following A’s death, police plan to charge the stepmother, identified only as B, with child abuse resulting in death. Initially, B was charged with child abuse resulting in injury when she was arrested on Wednesday.
An autopsy will be conducted on Friday.