Freezer Babies: Consecutive Neonaticide and Abandonment

Consecutive neonaticide has been reported in several countries, including Japan. In Korea, however, it has rarely been documented despite several domestic cases of mothers who killed multiple newborn infants and subsequently stored or abandoned the bodies in freezers. Representative examples include the Suwon and Busan refrigerator infant cases and the Seorae Village infant abandonment case. Although the reported causes of death included strangulation, smothering, and postnatal neglect, in all cases, minimal or nonspecific autopsy findings precluded the determination of the definitive causes of death solely by forensic examination. The determination of the cause and manner of death depended predominantly on investigative findings and confessional statements. The integration of forensic pathological findings and investigative information is essential for evaluating such cases. Following the 2023 Suwon refrigerator infant case and the subsequent “ghost children” scandal, Korea abolished the separate offenses of infanticide and abandonment of infants, and since February 2024, cases of infanticide and neonaticide have been prosecuted under the general statutory charges for homicide, with potentially more severe criminal penalties.