24-Year-Old Man Suspected of Abusing and Killing 1-Month-Old Son After Mother Reported Warning Signs

“Her child’s face is turning purple. The breathing seems abnormal.” 

After receiving a 119 emergency call from the mother, firefighters rushed to the scene. The infant, who was only a few days old, was quickly transported to the hospital but was confirmed dead the next day. 

On August 21, the Saitama Prefectural Police’s First Investigation Division and the Bunbu Police Station arrested Yudai Kono (24), an unemployed resident of Koshigaya City, Saitama Prefecture, on suspicion of causing death through injury. Kono is accused of assaulting and causing the death of his one-month-old son, A-chan.

“The incident in question occurred on September 9 of last year. Kono is believed to have inflicted some form of violence on A-chan while they were alone in a room of an apartment in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, where he was living at the time. That night, around 7 p.m., the child’s mother, in her 20s, returned from work and immediately noticed something was wrong, calling 119 to report ‘the child’s breathing seems abnormal.’ The infant was transported to a hospital, but unfortunately, A-chan’s death was confirmed the next day, October 10. The cause of death was determined to be brain damage resulting from a head injury, leading to post-resuscitation encephalopathy, with severe damage to A-chan’s brain.

The hospital that received the infant contacted the child consultation center, noting the possibility of abuse, and the child consultation center then reported the case to the police. Following interviews with relatives and other involved parties, as well as the investigation of the scene, Kono was arrested. During police questioning, Kono has denied the allegations, claiming he did not inflict any violence.” (a reporter from the social affairs section of a national newspaper)

Frequent arguments led to the sister living separately.

 

A photographer from “Friday” captured images of Kono being transported. In the back seat of the police vehicle, he remained crouched down, trying to hide his face from the media.

At the time of the incident, Kono, A-chan, and B-san were living together. However, A-chan’s older sister had been living separately just before the incident.

“It seems that Kono and B-san’s marriage was troubled, with frequent and severe arguments at home. The police suspect Kono of neglecting A-chan’s older sister, and they had contacted the child consultation center several times. The center, believing there was a risk of psychological abuse at home, decided that the sister should live separately from Kono and others.” (according to the same source)

The child consultation center had classified B-san, who was pregnant with A-chan, as a ‘high-risk pregnant woman’ and provided ongoing support through home visits. B-san had reportedly expressed concerns about Kono’s ‘dangerous signs’ at that time:

“Living with my husband (Kono) is tough, especially considering the children.”

On August 20, the Okayama District Court began a trial for a mother accused of conspiring with her partner to wrap her 6-year-old daughter in a blanket, rendering her unconscious and causing her death through abuse. This case highlights the ongoing issues in relationships between young parents and their young children.