The police yesterday took two male suspects into custody in connection with the suspected kidnapping and death of a young boy in Hsinchu City.
The 12-year-old boy, surnamed Lin (林), upon leaving his school on Tuesday afternoon, was allegedly led away by a man. It was later found that the 25-year-old man, surnamed Lee (李), was known to Lin and his schoolmates as a “big brother,” as Lee befriended them by regularly playing basketball at the school.
After a frantic search, the boy’s body was found on Tuesday in Lee’s apartment.
Photo: Tsai Chang-sheng, Taipei Times
Lee was found lapsing into unconsciousness and the apartment appeared to be filled with large quantities of toxic gases. Lee was rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
The police said that Lee sprayed a can of pesticide inside the sealed apartment in what was a suspected murder and suicide attempt.
A forensic examination found contusions on the boy’s neck, suggesting that he was strangled to death, police said, adding that an apartment security camera captured footage of another man with Lin and Lee when they entered the building.
Authorities later yesterday said that they apprehended the second man, a 30-year-old surnamed Chen (陳), at his parents’ home in Chiayi City. Chen was taken into custody and taken to Hsinchu City for questioning. He denied any involvement in the case, and denied knowing the boy, police said.
Local media outlets quoted the police as saying the investigation is focusing on allegations that the two suspects are pedophiles and that they might have abused the boy.
Evidence suggested that Lee has pedophile tendencies, with his social media messages and posted photographs revealing that he had befriended a number of schoolboys, and nearly all of his friends were young children, police said.
The police said that Lee allegedly pretended to be a school official and called the boy’s family to tell them the boy would be late arriving home because he was being detained at school.
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