Kaohsiung parents detained after 2-year-old daughter's death and alleged abuse of siblings

On Thursday evening, Kaohsiung City Fire Department responders arrived at a Sanmin District residence to find a 2-year-old girl in cardiac arrest, later confirming her death. Prosecutors examined the case, performed an autopsy, and determined that the child's death was suspicious. During the investigation, they also identified probable abuse of the family’s 1-year-old son.

On Saturday, the Kaohsiung District Court approved prosecutors' request to detain the parents—father Hsiung and mother Deng—under incommunicado custody, citing charges of intentional child harm and hindering the development of a child under seven, with Hsiung also suspected of drug use. The 1-year-old remains in hospital for observation, and the family's older daughter, who is under seven, has been placed in protective care.