Father arrested in death of 8-year-old girl abused by fiancée

Nguyen Kim Trung Thai, 36, will be investigated for his role in the abuse suffered by the girl, Binh Thanh District police Friday. Police have deemed him an accomplice.

Police had arrested 26-year-old Nguyen Vo Quynh Trang, his fiancée, on Tuesday.

Both are under investigation for the charge of “abuse.”

Thai had divorced his first wife last year. Since then he and Trang had lived with his eight-year-old daughter at an apartment complex in Binh Thanh District. She is said to have abused the little girl frequently and beat her. Thai repeatedly refused to allow the biological mother to visit the little girl, it has been reported.

On Dec. 22, Trang beat the girl so badly that she fainted. The girl was taken to hospital, but declared dead on arrival. The wounds and bruises seen on her body prompted doctors to contact the police.

Autopsy results determined that the girl had a hematoma under the skin of her forehead, mild cerebral edema, and broken ribs.

Police also said multiple bruises on the little girl included wounds that had already healed, suggesting she had been beaten before.

At the apartment, police found a broken broom and other evidence suggesting the girl was beaten and forced to do chores. Neighbors also said they often heard the little girl cry.

Thai admitted to the police that he knew his fiancé often used rods and sticks to beat his daughter for “educating,” but did not “react strongly” to protect the little girl.

After Trang was arrested, the biological mother of the girl, Nguyen Thi Hanh, had requested an investigation into her ex-husband’s role in their daughter’s death.

Hanh also requested her brother Nguyen Quang Vinh to work with the police on the case.

Vinh said the charge of “abuse” was not adequate for what Trang had done to his niece. The father should also be investigated for the crime, based on evidence of past abuse like scars on the body, Vinh said.

Atter Trang was arrested, the Vietnam Association for the Protection of Children’s Rights had sent a petition to local authorities, suggesting that her behavior suggested culpable homicide, a much more serious crime than “abuse.”

Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh has ordered the Ministry of Public Security and the HCMC administration to urgently investigate the case.