An autopsy of a 13-year-old boy who died in February amid allegations of school bullying found no signs that he was poisoned, concluding instead that he died from complications related to a viral infection, Tainan prosecutors said on Monday.
The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office in a statement said that an autopsy and toxicology report by the Institute of Forensic Medicine found no traces of drugs or toxins in samples of the boy’s hair, blood and urine.
The cause of death was determined to be myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, and heart failure, which were caused by a viral infection, the prosecutors’ office said.
Photo: Wang Chieh, Taipei Times
The autopsy results were presented to the boy’s family, who requested a further investigation, the office said, adding that it would put its “full efforts” into probing whether any illegal activities took place.
Meanwhile, the Tainan Bureau of Education in a separate statement on Thursday evening said that an investigation into the case found no evidence that the boy had been bullied.
The probe, which was conducted by a committee of special-education teachers, psychologists and lawyers, was based on the evidence and interviews with witnesses. It was completed on April 8 and distributed to student’s parents on Monday last week, the bureau said.
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