Jun 24 (tokyoreporter.com) - Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested a 20-year-old woman for allegedly abusing confining 2-year-old son in a closet before he died, reports Nippon News Network
Over a roughly 30-minute period starting at 1:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Aika Matsuba allegedly shut the boy, Reia, into the closet inside their residence in Sapporo City’s Kita Ward.
The boy was later rushed to a hospital in a state of cardiac arrest. His vital signs returned temporarily, but he was confirmed dead on Wednesday, police said.
Aika Matsuba (Twitter)
Police later arrested Matsuba on suspicion of confinement. “I did it for discipline,” she told police before her arrest.
An examination of the body of the boy showed no signs of injuries.
In addition to using the results of an autopsy to determine the cause of death, police will investigate whether the boy was regularly abused.
