Baby Dumped By Singaporean Couple In Taiwan Was Allegedly Born Alive
CCTV footage caught the man throwing the baby into a kitchen waste container on 26 February.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 26 Mar 2019, 12:55 PM
On 27 February, a baby, with her placenta and umbilical cord still intact, was found wrapped in a plastic bag and dumped in a garbage bin in Taipei, Taiwan
Blood samples later linked the baby to a 24-year-old woman and 23-year-old man from Singapore, The Straits Times reported.
They arrived in Taiwan on 19 February and returned home on 26 February, shortly after the man was caught on CCTV footage throwing the baby into a kitchen waste container at around 3am.
The waste was then transported to a recycling factory where an employee discovered the baby girl's body the following day.
According to Taiwanese media, sources revealed that the baby was likely not a stillborn
In an autopsy, the baby's lungs and kidneys were sliced and place in water for a procedure known as the hydrostatic test, Mothership reported.
The fact that they floated to the top indicated that the girl had breathed independently before she died.
However, the hydrostatic test is known to be a controversial method by some forensic pathologists, as other factors may cause the organ to float in water.
Forensic researchers are allegedly still investigating the cause of the baby's death and their report has not been released.
If the official report confirms that the baby was alive at one point before her death, the couple may be charged with infanticide
According to Taiwanese law, a mother who is found guilty of killing a newborn may be jailed between six months and five years.
If the father is found to have killed the newborn, he could be given the death penalty, life imprisonment, or jailed for at least 10 years, Liberty Times reported.
The authorities may approach Singapore for help with the investigations, Taiwanese newspaper China Times reported.