Tainan: The death of a one-year-old boy in Tainan while being taken care of by an unlicensed babysitter is under investigation. The babysitter, surnamed Lee, called police for help on Wednesday, reporting that the boy's heart had stopped beating and he had stopped breathing, but he was pronounced dead before arriving at a hospital.
According to Focus Taiwan, police have referred the case to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office for further investigation after being unable to determine the cause of death. They also did not offer any indication that the nanny was involved in the child's death. The Tainan Social Affairs Bureau reported on Friday that after receiving the report of the child's death on Wednesday, they investigated Lee's background and found that she was not licensed as a childcare provider.
The bureau stated that Lee had neither obtained a childcare worker certificate nor registered as a home-based childcare provider. Since she was caring for children outside the third degree of kinship, she violated the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act. As a result, Lee will be fined NT$60,000 (US$1,866). However, determining the cause of the boy's death and any potential criminal liability will be up to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office.
The bureau also mentioned that if Lee is found to have violated Article 49 of the Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act by engaging in improper conduct toward a child, she could face a fine of up to NT$600,000. The situation further escalated when three young men were arrested after attempting to harass Lee on Thursday night.
The three men, a 21-year-old surnamed Tsai, a 22-year-old surnamed Cheng, and a 20-year-old surnamed Wang, went to Lee's residence after her address was exposed on the internet when the story went viral. They threw eggs and scattered joss paper at the site. Police arrested Tsai and Cheng later that night, while Wang reported to a police station at about 3 a.m. Friday. The three men have been referred to the Tainan District Prosecutors Office on suspicion of intimidation and offenses against public order under the Criminal Code.