Prosecutors have sought 7 years in prison for a man who deserted the body of his dead stepdaughter.

In the announcement Tuesday, Cheongju District Prosecutors’ Office said the 4-year-old victim died at the abusive hands of her birth mother, and was buried in a deserted area of a mountain in Jincheon County, North Chungcheong Province, by the stepfather on Christmas day of 2011. 

The mother, surnamed Han, had killed the victim by forcing her head underwater in the bathtub after she failed to control her bladder.

The couple hid their crime with a chain of lies, telling others that the child was away at her grandparents, or that they sent her to an orphanage because of financial problems.

Their lies were uncovered in March, when the victim’s school contacted the police about her three-year absence.

Han killed herself immediately after the police investigation was launched. In her suicide note, she admitted her guilt and directed all blame toward herself.

The stepfather, surnamed Ahn, aside from aiding in the desertion of the victim’s body, is also accused of psychologically and physically abusing Han and the child when they were alive.

The CDPO claims Ahn hit his wife and stepdaughter on a habitual basis.

In the final trial for the case, Ahn’s lawyer pleaded for mercy, saying he had repented for his crime, and had done his best to maintain peace within the family when the child was alive.

Ahn said he “had wanted to report the accidental death of the child straight after the murder, but chose not to as Han was 9 months pregnant at the time.”

Public ruling on Ahn’s case will take place on July 19.



By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)