SBS Star

'Unanswered Questions' Investigates Tragic Death of 44-Month-Old Child as Older Sister Says Stepmother Gave Whispered Instructions Years Later

newsservice@sbs.co.kr(SBS Star) — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:46:00 +0900

Why did 44-month-old Soo-ah die?

On the August 29 broadcast of SBS's "Unanswered Questions," the program tracked the truth behind the sudden death of a 44-month-old child.

On June 28, 2019, 44-month-old Soo-ah was rushed to the emergency room. Initially, a 119 emergency call was made due to suspected febrile seizure symptoms, but Soo-ah reportedly improved afterward. However, a second report came in stating that the child was not breathing, and after being transported to the hospital, the child ultimately passed away.

The cause of death for the child, who was found to have traumatic cerebral hemorrhage, was head trauma. At the time, medical staff discovered dozens of bruises and wounds across Soo-ah's entire body that appeared to have been caused by external force, raising suspicions of abuse.

However, the police closed the internal investigation, stating that no situations of abuse or harsh treatment were found. They made this decision on the grounds that there was no conclusive evidence that the wounds on the child's body were caused by another person's assault, and that there were circumstances suggesting they could have been caused by self-harm.

Regarding Soo-ah, who was diagnosed with a level 3 intellectual disability, family members said she was possessed by a ghost and had been living at her great-aunt's house due to abnormal behaviors such as aggression toward family members and self-harm. She later died.

However, after Soo-ah's death, her older sister Subin, who was five years old at the time, also began exhibiting abnormal behaviors similar to those of Soo-ah. Subin reportedly caused issues by expressing aggression, such as cursing at her parents and threatening them with a knife. However, those symptoms have reportedly disappeared now, six years later.

Then, Subin confessed to a shocking story. She stated that at the time, her stepmother whispered instructions to her to engage in abnormal behaviors. She also added that the stepmother whispered to her younger sister Soo-ah as well, and that Soo-ah always exhibited abnormal behaviors after being whispered to.

However, the sisters' stepmother claimed that the abuse allegations were groundless and that everything was a lie told by Subin.

After parting ways with his ex-wife, the sisters' father met Park, a junior from his university, in 2017. The two later remarried and spent happy days together. However, the family's happiness did not last long due to Soo-ah's abnormal behaviors.

While Soo-ah was alive, the stepmother had treated Subin kindly. However, after Soo-ah's death, the stepmother instructed Subin to engage in abnormal behaviors, telling her to curse at dad and spit on dad. She reportedly gave these instructions through whispers almost every day, and whenever Subin stopped the rampage, she would whisper again to make her resume it.

Subin's shocking testimony did not end there. She stated that at the time, whenever Subin spoke politely to her stepmother, the stepmother would bend and break her fingers one by one, and instructed her to tell her father that she was injured at a taekwondo dojang.

In response, however, Subin's aunt by marriage pointed out that everything was the children's fault, claiming, These are behaviors caused by ADHD, and She is a child who needs treatment. They are problematic sisters.

Furthermore, the aunt delivered a shock by saying that Subin had tried to stab the stepmother with a knife. However, Subin claimed that the stepmother assaulted her because she annoyed her, breaking her tooth, and from then on, locked her up without letting her sleep. She also claimed that when she tried to open the door and come out, her arms and legs were tied behind her back to prevent her from doing so.

At the time, Subin's father was overseas, so she had no one to turn to for help. Subin also stated that the stepmother gave her cold rice or no food at all, intentionally fed her spicy food without giving her water, and locked the master bedroom bathroom door, causing her to have accidents, after which she was allegedly made to eat her own waste.

Subin stated that she ultimately picked up a knife against her mother because she was having such a hard time.

In response, an expert stated, There is a possibility of contamination in the testimony. However, it is difficult to view the entire testimony as false. If she had made it up, her account would have been smoother. The expert also emphasized the importance of Subin's testimony, noting, When abuse against the first child is recognized, it provides sufficient grounds to suspect the possibility of abuse against the second child in succession.

Currently, Subin states that she does not remember anything about Soo-ah's death. However, Subin's testimony at the Sunflower Center after Soo-ah's death was pure shock.

Letting out a sigh as soon as Soo-ah was brought up, Subin said that Soo-ah went to America due to her abnormal behaviors and that the stepmother sent her to their great-aunt, saying, She needs some education.

Subin also stated, If she wasn't polite, the great-aunt became frighteningly scary like a ghost. She was hit even if she dropped a heavy book she was holding or if it touched her head, and she was hit even if she made a sound. She was hit with a shoehorn and also made to eat spicy food. She added, She was fed hot sauce for not listening. Mom fed her spoonful by spoonful, and Soo-ah suffered.

Furthermore, Subin recounted the situation at the time of Soo-ah's death, stating, Soo-ah collapsed because she was sick. Her eyes really rolled back. Her aunt by marriage came and called 119, but suddenly canceled it. Then suddenly 119 came again. And that was it.

An expert expressed regret, saying, She answers additional questions about being fed spicy food and the 119 call, and this cannot be seen as testimony based solely on a child's imagination. It would have been good if there had been two or three attempts to investigate at the time.

Capsaicin was detected in Soo-ah's body at the time of her death. An expert pointed out, This is a higher level than what would be found when a healthy adult eats a lot. A large amount of capsaicin must have entered her body in a short time before her death.

They also drew attention by stating that Soo-ah may not have actually had an intellectual disability.

An expert explained, If a child who was developing normally experiences developmental regression, an underlying condition is usually suspected. However, tests revealed that there was no underlying condition.

The expert expressed sorrow, saying, When a child maintains a calm state and then abnormal behavior appears, it is called acting out, and the triggering factor is the trigger point. The parents failed to control the factors that caused the self-harming behavior.

They also added that while the wounds left on the child's body could possibly be due to self-harm, analysis of Soo-ah's injury sites does not allow for the exclusion of abuse circumstances.

In addition, the expert stated, The CBCL test, which checks a child's toddler behaviors, is conducted by the mother. However, the score for Soo-ah conducted by the stepmother was 100 points. This is a cry of suffering to death because she is the caregiver raising this child. It makes one suspect maternal depression.

Through reporting, the production team was also able to hear circumstances that raised suspicions of abuse by the stepmother from the babysitter and daycare teachers who cared for the child at the time.

The stepmother had always filmed Soo-ah's abnormal behaviors and uploaded them to social media. Regarding this, an expert pointed out the possibility of factitious disorder by proxy, stating, This can be seen as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Munchausen syndrome involves causing an illness in oneself and going to the hospital for treatment, but here we can see a desire for the stepmother to make the child sick and become an angel in white caring for a sick child.

The expert said, She is using social media to engage in behavior driven by a high psychological satisfaction of being a good stepmother who cares for the child in place of the biological mother who abandoned such a child showing abnormal behaviors.

Lastly, Subin evoked sorrow by saying, If Mom had sincerely reflected and apologized, I was going to drop all the lawsuits and things like that. I want Mom to be punished. If she has to go to prison, she should go, and I hope she reflects on it.

※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Hyo-jung)

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