Taiwan 9-month-old girl dies after parents leave her alone for hours to adopt a dog

"I thought that after feeding her, she would sleep for a very long time," the mother told investigators on Dec. 31, 2025, explaining why she left the baby at home alone, Sinchew Daily reported.

According to police, she said she received a call that morning from an animal rescue center in another province about a dog available for adoption and "could not resist the excitement," prompting her to leave immediately to pick it up.

She and her husband, the baby’s stepfather, then drove to the animal shelter, leaving the baby locked alone in their rented apartment in Gangshan District, Kaohsiung, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

When the couple returned, the infant was unresponsive and had turned blue. Doctors confirmed she had died before emergency treatment, with an initial assessment suggesting suffocation caused by milk reflux.

A baby's feet fit in the palm of an adult. Illustration photo from Pexels

However, hospital staff alerted police after noticing suspicious signs on the child’s body. The baby was found naked, loosely wrapped in a bath towel, and had multiple unusual injuries, including a large bruise on her left thigh and shoulder, as well as a burn on her chin believed to have been caused by a cigarette. When asked about the findings, the mother claimed the baby had "accidentally hurt herself."

Witnesses at the morgue said the couple’s behavior angered many onlookers. While waiting for identification procedures, both showed no visible grief or remorse, with the stepfather even asking for a cigarette.

Neighbors said the couple had moved into the upscale apartment complex about a month earlier. With a monthly rent of 18,000 New Taiwan dollars (US$573), the apartment was described by neighbors as luxurious compared with the couple’s income from part-time work at a convenience store.

"They could afford a nice place and had time to pick up a dog, but not to care for their own child," a local resident said.

The couple have been released on bail of 50,000 New Taiwan dollars while awaiting autopsy results. If convicted of child abuse resulting in death under Taiwanese law, they could face the death penalty.