S’porean Couple Who Abandoned Dead Baby in Taiwan Now Wanted by Taiwanese Authorities

Maybe the grisly story has already slipped from your mind, but two years ago, a Singaporean couple had dumped their newborn in a food recycling bin in Taiwan. The couple even got married last year.

Now, in 2021, they are wanted by the Taiwanese authorities.

Lest you’ve forgotten, here’s what happened: the pair were on holiday in Taipei in 2019 and the woman had given birth to a baby girl on 26 February.

Surveillance footage showed that the man threw a black garbage bag into a bin in the wee hours of the morning, which was later discovered to contain the infant’s body.

The couple later denied any allegations.

The girl insisted that if she was pregnant, she would not have been able to board the flight.

The man’s parents said that they knew that their son and his girlfriend had gone to Taiwan for a holiday, but they were unaware that she was pregnant.

The Straits Times had tried to contact the couple at their respective homes but had not received any response.

The Taiwanese police had later taken samples of bloodstains and hair from the couple’s hotel room in Taiwan, which matched the baby’s DNA. This information was confirmed on 4 March 2019.

To read more about the case, click here.

Case Classified as Homicide and Infanticide

According to AsiaOne, forensic tests had found that the infant was alive when she was delivered and evidence from blood samples clearly pointed to the Singaporean couple’s involvement.

As such, the Taipei district prosecutor’s office had declared the case as homicide and infanticide. They had also issued an arrest warrant for the couple.

As reported by The Straits Times, the Taiwanese law states that a mother who kills her newborn will be jailed for a minimum of six months to five years. If the father had done it, he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment or face a sentence of at least 10 years.

Law expert and former Attorney-General Walter Woon did mention that it would be difficult to prosecute the couple in Singapore unless it could be proven that they had conspired here to commit the crime overseas, according to this article by The Straits Times.

Hopefully, justice will be served soon.

Image: SMDN / Social Media