Elderly woman and her son found dead in Namyangju apartment

(Herald DB)

A woman in her 90s and her son in his 60s were found dead in their apartment in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, according to police on Saturday.

Namyangju Bukbu Police Station received a report at around 4 p.m. on Friday from the woman’s older son that both his mother and younger brother were dead. Upon arriving at the scene, police found the elderly woman and her son deceased in separate rooms.

The older son, who had lived with his now-deceased mother and brother for 12 years, told police that he had checked on his mother before leaving their home earlier in the day. Upon returning, he found her unresponsive, and when he opened his brother’s room to inform him, he found that his brother had also passed away.

The elderly mother had gone without food for about 10 days due to her deteriorating health, the son reportedly said. He wanted to take his mother to a hospital, but his mother had strongly refused. His brother, who rarely left his room, reportedly suffered from diabetes and alcohol addiction.

The police said they have found no signs of foul play. The authorities believe the son had been dead for several days, based on his state of rigor mortis -- the stiffening of the body after death. They plan to request an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

By Ahn Sung-mi(sahn@heraldcorp.com)