According to reports, the baby was delivered at around 5:45 p.m. on July 14. The child was born with a cleft lip, a treatable condition that occurs about 1 to 2 per 1,000 births in the developed world. On July 17 at around 2:30 p.m., the baby was found dead by a nurse who was making rounds in the maternity ward.
The nurse immediately called the baby’s family and notified them of the child's death, however, she became suspicious when the parents reacted in an unusually calm manner.
Preliminary investigation by police found that the baby’s death was unnatural, and police suspect that the grandfather had injected potassium chloride into the child.
According to SCMP, the baby’s grandfather has sought advice from a doctor surnamed Zhou and obtained the potassium chloride from her. He then injected the undiluted substance into the infant’s head, thus, killing him. The chemical compound can be lethal in concentrated doses.
The gynaecologist and the baby’s grandfather have since then been placed under criminal detention by the police in Chongming. Further investigation on the case is underway.
In May, a baby born was found alive after being buried for eight days in Guangxi. The newborn had reportedly been abandoned in the wilderness by his family because he was also born with a cleft lip.
