Baby In China Survives Being Buried Alive After Family Allegedly Paid Man To Get Rid Of Him
A baby in China is reportedly lucky to be alive after enduring a horrific ordeal. CNN reports a baby boy was rescued from an unmarked shallow grave by local law enforcement officials. The incident is said to have occurred in China’s Guangxi province.
Although there are few confirmed details about the case, a Xinhua news agency claims that the infant was willingly abandoned by his family because he was born with a cleft lip and a congenital defect. The baby was reportedly born on April 20 at Tiandong County People’s Hospital, but released four days later after being treated for a high fever.
Wu Weili, deputy director of pediatrics at the hospital, told the press that the baby’s family did not request a birth certificate and left with the newborn soon after paying the bill. Shortly afterward, the family is alleged to have hired a man to get rid of the baby boy for a sum of about $290. The man reportedly placed the baby in a cardboard box and left the child to die in the woods. When the man believed the infant to be dead, he reportedly buried the newborn in a shallow grave.
Chinese baby rescued after being buried alive: http://t.co/luRi1i2Jf5 pic.twitter.com/oPzQUpk3Db
— CNN (@CNN) May 14, 2015
The baby would have died, had it not been for a woman who’d gone into the wilderness to pick herbs. The woman heard the wailing of an infant and went to investigate. Upon discovering the newborn, she and a few villagers rescued him and sent him to a nearby hospital for care.
As it turns out, the hospital his rescuers sent him to was the same hospital where the baby was born. Despite the widely circulated allegations, Wu does not claim to know exactly what happened to the child after he was initially taken home.
“We do not know what exactly happened during the period of time when the baby was discharged from the hospital on April 24, and when he was admitted to the hospital again on May 4.”
The question of what happened to the baby boy, and why, is something that police are currently investigating. As for the infant, he was reportedly in critical condition when he returned to the hospital. The baby was said to have been covered in bruises and was coughing up mud.
Incredibly, the family of the baby now claims to want the child back. Several family members were reportedly arrested in connection to the abandonment and alleged attempted murder of the newborn child. The parents were released on bail and have written a letter apologizing for the matter, promising not to hurt the baby. Zhou Liying, head of the county’s Civil Affairs Bureau, is not convinced.
“We worry that the baby’s parents may hurt him again. Even [if they do not], this tragedy may haunt the family and affect the boy’s mental health.”
Doctors are working to help bring the baby back to full health, after which it’s expected he will be turned over to social services.
[Image Credit: gabi menashe]
