crime

Woman walks into police station with body of infant in her bag

58 Comments

Police in Omiya, Saitama Prefecture, have arrested a 23-year-old woman who turned herself in at a police station, carrying a bag which contained the body of her newborn son.

According to police, the woman, identified as Minayo Abo, walked into the Omiya police station at around 8 p.m. on Sunday. Fuji TV quoted a police spokesman as saying Abo was a resident of Okubo in Shinjuku Ward in Tokyo and was unemployed.

Abo was quoted by police as saying the baby died at childbirth one week earlier and that she was alone when she gave birth. No external wounds were apparent on the baby's body, which still had the umbilical cord attached, police said.

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I think people are jumping to conclussions demonizing this lady. She may not have been able to get to the hospital. She may have given birth early. She could have just dumped the body somewhere but she didn't.

21 ( +24 / -3 )

rickyvee: she deserves to get a court-ordered vasectomy and twenty years in prison

Seeing as how a vasectomy is a male-sterlization procedure, I'm not sure what good that would do.

gogogo: So sad, RIP little boy, your evil mother will burn in hell for being a selfish witch.

If you believe in hell then I'm going to assume you believe in heaven too. Is your heaven one that only those who have committed no sins can get into? First off, you know next to nothing about what happened and second, try being a little less judgmental until you do. I believe that would be the Christian thing to do or Buddhist, or Muslim, or pick your faith, because they pretty much all preach against it or is this just some private heaven for you and your perfect friends?

17 ( +20 / -3 )

she deserves to get a court-ordered vasectomy

Following the court-ordered sex-change operation she would need first?

your evil mother will burn in hell for being a selfish witch

You fathom that from this very short, almost factless article? All we are told is that (she says) the baby died at birth one week ago and that she was alone. Granted yes she should have called an ambulance when she realised the birth was imminent, failing that she should have called someone - the police, the hospital, a friend, her family, a neighbour - after the birth. She didn't do these things, and we don't know why. It could be that you are right and she is an evil person and that she killed the baby, though there are apparently no external wounds. If there were bruising, signs of strangulation, suffocation, etc., I imagine the article would say so.

It could just as equally be the case that she isn't very bright, or has a mental illness, being unemployed had no phone to call for help. The fact that it took her a week to get to the police station suggests to me that she went to the police as soon as she was fit to walk after the birth.

But if she lived in Shinjuku, I wonder why she took the baby to Omiya?

13 ( +18 / -5 )

I had to pay 340,000 yen for my child's birth, and was reimbursed for 300,000 yen of it after the fact. And this was because I was able to afford to pay for insurance in the first place. She was unemployed, so very potentially not on any insurance at all, and even if she was, she likely didn't have the money to pay up front.

This is of course based on the assumption that she even knew she was pregnant in the first place - it does happen that some fat people are pregnant without realizing, and given unexpected births. Or maybe the baby was born premature. Or maybe 10 other possibilities.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

agree with cleo.

There is absolutely no evidence so far that she murdered the baby. For all anyone knows, she could have gone into labour alone, baby was born stillborn, and she just went into a state of complete shock.

Also there is nothing to suggest this baby was fullterm - it does not say so in the article. She might not even have known she was pregnant. The fact no-one else took her to the hospital, or the police, says an awful lot indeed.

Regardless of what happened, I feel terribly sorry for the little boy.

12 ( +15 / -3 )

Mirai - have you ever had a baby? (I mean that in a much less patronizing sense than it sounds, by the way) If you have not, then let me tell you a little about it. Often, even for women who have had babies before, a contraction is not a contraction until they get really regular. It can be hours, or even days, of general discomfort and pain, which can easily be mistaken for regular menstrual or back pain. Even a bad bout of constipation and gas in the early stages of labour. Its only fairly close to the end that the contractions become "regular" and sometimes they never do. I doubt she was sitting with a stopwatch timing them in excitement.

There is nothing in the article that tells us how far along she was, or if she even knew she was pregnant. A fetus from 24 weeks is considered "viable" (ie a baby, not just a bunch of cells) but that does not mean that the baby was born full term, 3000g and healthy.

Perhaps I will be called an apologist, but it does really sound like a young woman gave birth, to a very ill or stillborn little boy and completely freaked out. Childbirth is hard enough for women who have a husband, a mother close by and a lot of support - It must have been terrifying for her, and heartbreaking if her son was born stillborn. Thats a lot of emotion for any woman to go through, without being arrested on top of it.

I really think we should all reserve judgement until we know more about this.

9 ( +10 / -1 )

gogogo - babies that are healthy do not need a doctor or a hospital to be born healthy - Throughout time children have been born at home without medical staff and have been completely healthy.

Of course complications can arise whether you are giving birth in a hospital or not, but until a reason for the childs death is established, you certainly can not blame the mother for this.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

gogogo: How can you people feel sorry for this woman? Arrest her for child abuse leading to death. There is no excuse for not seeking medical aid.

The real question is how can you not feel sorry for a young woman, who not only just lost her baby, but was then arrested after doing the right thing and is now subject to the harsh, compassionless judgment of a bunch of strangers who know next to nothing about what happened? The next time you go around condemning people to hell - and this is far from the first time you've done so - consider instead practicing a little of the compassion that all of the great faiths preach.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Poor woman.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

I think compassion is something many of the commenters might try to have. It was a very very sad situation, that's about all we know, at the moment.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

fupayme, I am a father. I had to battle my way in to the room to see my son born. And even I admit I do not know the half of it concerning pregnancy and giving birth. My wife was delirious with pain before, during and after. We both have jobs so we could afford lots of prenatal care and a room at the clinic. During birth there was a full staff there to help. My wife was in the clinic for over a week receiving drugs to induce labor (over my protests). And it seems this woman's situation was the opposite in most every aspect, including the medical ones. She may have given birth early and suddenly. No money so no prenatal care. And over the holidays you can't just walk into a random hospital in Japan and get help. And walking while giving birth? Do you have any idea of the pain involved???

Its so easy for a guy to just there and imagine it just pops out like from a Pez dispenser and then you just yank the umbilical which neatly rolls away then clap the baby's mouth on your breast and go back to watching TV. Seems to me there are lots of guys out there who need a boot in the behind to get them out the door to experience the real world so they have half a clue what goes on.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Back on topic please. Posts that do not focus on the story will be removed.

WHY didn't she go to a Hospital ?!

Most likely because she was unemployed, and birthing costs 300,000+ yen here.

5 ( +10 / -5 )

she probably didn't know much about the money she could receive from the government

She may not have been eligible to receive the money in the first place if she was uninsured (though I'm unsure of how that works in Japan).

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Some people sound they never had experience of childbirth and criticizing this girl. We don;t know the baby was still born or not. She had to take care of baby birth. Insurance? Not everybody has maternity insuremce.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

National heath insurance covers 100% of birthing costs.

Strangerland is right. There is only the one time fee which is now 420,000.- yen if insured. It costs more in some hospitals unless you are getting a C-section. (Again if insured, you only have to pay 30% of the cost.)

Also there is the problem of the declining number of obstetricians and hospitals that treat pregnancies. In the case of the hospital I know, you need to reserve 8 months in advance (!!) to have the baby there. The costly monthly checkups are also a burden on the expectant mothers.

This may not have anything to do with this case here, but I think Japan needs to do something with the system.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

It disturbs me that we can have so much knee-jerk condemnation of the mother with next to zero facts, but no one thinks to question the whereabouts of the father.

I know what I will get in return for saying this, and it will be "Maybe he did not know.". Maybe? As pointed out by another, maybe she did not know. As for him not knowing, how do you not know there is a good chance you impregnated someone? I have had sex before. I even made a baby. But I always knew if there was a fair chance I made one. You really have to be in la-la land not to have any clue, and yes I know guys who are in la-la land. I was once myself, then I figured it out. I was lucky I did not wind up a unwitting father back then. Somebody should have educated me. All men should be educated before this happens. In fact, all men should be held accountable.

As for women, given them a break, especially if you are going advocated letting men leave women holding the bag all by themselves, sheesh. I am a guy, and I am fully aware that I can only imagine the half of being a woman, pregnant, with no job and no male responsible and no support.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Elbuda Mexicano -

why was she living alone??

what makes you think she was living alone? because she gave birth to her child alone? she was actually living with her older sister (though the sister wasn't there when she delivered the baby) according to japanese news.

Why did she go all the way from Shinjuku to Omiya??

it doesn't say in the JT article but according to japanese news, she had a friend that she trusted in Saitama, went there to talk to the friend to consult what to do with the dead baby. the friend recommended that she goes to the police station so she went straight to the police station from the friend's house. hope it makes sense to you now.

but even if she was living alone, that would not be a surprise, she's a not a teenager. just wish she consulted with people earlier.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

gogogoJAN. 06, 2014 - 03:15PM JST Strangerland: National heath insurance covers 100% of birthing costs.

Yes but you have to pay the money upfront. 300,000 yen is alot of money if you don't have it. Jesus, 100,000 is.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

My heart goes out to this lady and her child. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of helplessness, pain, and loneliness she felt as she tried to handle this ordeal by herself. It was not the wisest decision, but in dire circumstances it is often difficult to think clearly, especially without any support or advice from people you trust and care about. I hope that the people in her life (Like the friend she eventually turned to for help) reach out to her so as to foster a more healthy system of supportive relationships.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

TSRnow -

I think Japan needs to do something with the system

There is only the one time fee which is now 420,000

Usually, the mothers receive money from the government AFTER the child birth, but there is actually this system that you can receive the money prior to the child birth if you cannot afford to pay before you get the money.

you need to reserve 8 months in advance

Well, I think you are talking about those private hospitals that are rather luxary - most public hospitals do not requre you to reserve that early.

Japan might not have the best system but far better than some other countries like the United States where I had my children.

Strangerland -

She may not have been eligible to receive the money in the first place if she was uninsured (though I'm unsure of how that works in Japan).

you do not need to have insurance in order to receive money from the government for the child birth in Japan.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Poor woman and son. I imagine that with the son dying at childbirth, she was in shock. Too bad she had no help with the birth.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@@Serrano Excellent comment and a show of compassion we really dont know what happened except the child is dead and the mom turned herself in along with her deceased child!

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Will you please stop criticizing and pointing fingers? We don't know the whole story, we just know it is a sad story. Poor woman might no have been able to do anything else. The story sounds so lonely to me, and she's as old as me too.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

cleo -

But if she lived in Shinjuku, I wonder why she took the baby to Omiya?

she wasn't sure what to do with the baby so she visited her friend in saitama and the friend recommended her to go to the police - i guess she went straight to the police station that was near the friend's house.

gogogo-

So sad, RIP little boy, your evil mother will burn in hell for being a selfish witch.

I don't think she was/is evil, but she probably doesn't have what we call "common sense". she probably didn't know much about the money she could receive from the government, she probably found out about her pregnancy and did not know what to do and the 9 months passed by.. this really is sad.

Wish she could have talked to this friend in Saitama BEFORE she delivered the baby - it could have saved the baby's life... sad,

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Even if you are right, that does not fit the definition of murder. Manslaughter maybe, or negligent homicide. But not murder.

As for 'many support centers for pregnant people with no money', exactly how do you qualify 'many'? I need to know that before I agree or disagree with the statement.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

What was she charged for??? She didn't abandon the body and it doesn't sound like murder.

Gotta love the Japanese health care system... Universal it is not. Poor thing was probably scared to death and when she finally did the right thing, she was arrested? Unreal.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

WHY didn't she go to a Hospital ?!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Where was the father ?

It is easy to find the woman guilty but a baby for many young girl in a country where family are so short in new member, well, did she event know she was pregnant ?

Personnaly, when there is those kind of problem at birth i consider the father to be moraly guilty as well.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Wow some of the comments are so disturbing everyone here has all the correct answers for what this young mother did. First of all nobody knows what really happened but her. The news paper said she was alone when she gave birth. Some of the comments from some of the posters say many bad things about this mother. One thing I did notice is that she is not like some of the other mothers who dumps babies. What we do know is the article said she appeared at the police station with her dead infant son in a paper bag one week after giving birth. This doesnt sound like some one being irresponsible maybe she was in too much pain and after giving birth she panic no mother wants to give up her child. For the women who posted on here negative things have some compassion you should know the pain and psych of deliving a child and what you go through after delivery. ................................, To Elbuda Mexicano your comments were way off base New Years is over stop the drinking yes you are right for one thing you said Not too sure what happened? Your next question why was she living alone?? That really was a nutter question maybe she gave a premature birth and this was unxpected there are a lot of things we the readers do not know. You asked Why did she go all the way from Shinjuku to Omiya?? None of this makes any sense. True but do you know her state of mind losing a child is a great loss . You are funny dude you wrote All we know is there is a dead baby that we all can agree with and that is about the best comment you made, dont question the lady IQ reading your comments dont make yours that very high. You already made this women a bad person saying some very, very bad things about This woman why even bring up the notion of this woman possibly being some drug addict, prostitute etc..or being exploited by the YAKUZAS. No she is being SLANDEREd by you in Tokyo. Last but not least you went ranting off as if you are a perfect person, no Elbuda you are straight out of the barrio hiding in Japan having he best of three countries in the world mexico no, LA No Japan yes and you wrote your own post I agree there are many messed up people not only in Japan but all your post leads me to think you are one of them to make and assume such things about a women you dont even know!

1 ( +4 / -3 )

@fishy,

just to be clear,

Usually, the mothers receive money from the government AFTER the child birth, but there is actually this system that you can receive the money prior to the child birth if you cannot afford to pay before you get the money.

Yes, I know the system, but the health insurance people does not advertise the system, so a lot people don't know how this works. Especially like this mother, having her child at home, I am asuming she is not your adverage mother who would be better informed.

Well, I think you are talking about those private hospitals that are rather luxary - most public hospitals do not requre you to reserve that early.

Not necessarily luxary. A normal hospital can do this to you. Especially if you know you need a C-section in advance, some hospitals will turn you down because they already have too much mothers with reservations. Google "Shussan nanmin" and you will get tons of articles on it.

Japan might not have the best system but far better than some other countries like the United States where I had my children.

I won't go into comparisons since JT will delete my post if I do, but the Japanese health care system is corrupt and not getting any better. I hope this mother was not a victim of this system. Of course on the other hand, if she wasn't, I wonder what went seriously wrong here.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Or maybe it was the governments fault for not providing adequate social services to make sure all child births are cost free, and then providing life sustaining welfare for her and the baby. That way she would have had hope and not just let the baby die.

Nastiness noted. A shame though because this is EXACTLY what I think Japan needs. Free births, daycares and help for those in need? Yes.

I'll also remind folks who are going on about why didn't she call an ambulance. Guess some of you are new here and don't recall how many women here have died in labour in ambulances because no hospitals would take them... Usually faster - and cheaper - to take a taxi.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

toshiko-

Do you have info that she was not homeless in Saitama

she lived in Okubo in Shinjuku with her sister. she went to visit her friend in Saitama to consult with, and the friend went to the police station with her. the girl wasn't homeless in Saitama - your "guess" was cold.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I've heard it's at least a few thousand dollars to deliver a baby in a hospital. I can see how an unemployed woman, perhaps without a supportive family, would think she can't go to a hospital. She could have dumped the body somewhere, but didn't. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt on this one.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

sad

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Just reading the headline alone was enough to make me feel physically ill. What a horribly sad story.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Poor baby, poor woman.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

toshiko: This young lady could have thought she can live in a jail instead of roaming around streets

Where does it say this lady was "roaming around streets"? What a cruel and ridiculous assumption to be making.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

toshiko: Do you have info that she was not homeless in Saitama?

What an odd way to formulate an argument: make a guess at something, based on nothing and then suggest that someone, who wonders why you'd make such a guess, find evidence to prove that what you said, based on no evidence, is incorrect. How about just sticking with the facts?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@kimuzukashiiiii

I personally have never been pregnant...Its pretty difficult for guys to get pregnant. However, I do have a wife who was pregnant, and yes I do know that labor can take a very long time. My wife was in labor for 72 hours before she gave birth.

The point is, the moment she felt labor pains (and from my understanding, it pretty damn painful) she should have gotten medical help. At least at a hospital, they could have given the child the best chance to live, rather than her trying to have a baby by herself (which I think was absolutely irresponsible).

Although I have heard horror stories in Japan of pregnant women who were denied treatment at hospitals because they were "overcrowded", I think cases like this are rare. If she had called the ambulance, then I'm pretty sure that she would have been given help.

Don't get me wrong, I do feel compassion for this woman. Perhaps he didn't know she was pregnant, or maybe the baby was dead at birth, but at least she would not have had to go through the grief of still birth alone, and not put in the position she is in now if she had sought help as soon as she realized something was up.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

@ambrosia: That was my guess, She was unemployed, was in Saitama, she went to police station. Note I wrote 'she could ,,,," Do you have info that she was not homeless in Saitama?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

All to sad and tragic on both, mother and baby !! RIP little angel boy. Best of luck to you mother in question.

And reading these unsettling coments on National Insurance Coverange on Pregnacies and Births... It is no wonder why Japan is viewed as one of the lowest birthrate nations in the world !!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Unbelievable

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

rickyvee: Ummm... a vasectomy? seriously? Do you know what that is?

darknuts: "I think people are jumping to conclussions demonizing this lady. She may not have been able to get to the hospital. She may have given birth early. She could have just dumped the body somewhere but she did"

I totally agree with what you say, and agree with others that the woman was likely in shock, but a whole week? It doesn't sound like murder to me at all, but I think this woman at the very least needs some mental help -- if not from the shock alone.

-3 ( +5 / -8 )

Poor baby. I want to know why she didn't go to the hospital and why she didn't take care of him.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Unemployeed people can get unemployment benefits, if you are in national health insurance for life, even if you don't pay the fees on time (upto 24 months late) you can still use the insurance.

I have national health insurance and I actually made a small amount of money from child birth, I didn't pay a single yen, if you fill out all your cards correctly with the ward office it does not cost you anything. The hospital billed the ward office or government directly I didn't have to pay anything upfront.

There is also a special allowance for single mothers both for birth and monthly.

I understand you can give birth yourself, at home etc, but if you don't know what you are doing then that is not good.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

OMG ! good thing is she surrender herself

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

This young lady could have thought she can live in a jail instead of roaming around streets.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Not too sure what happened, why was she living alone?? Why did she go all the way from Shinjuku to Omiya?? None of this makes any sense. All we know is there is a dead baby, very, very sad indeed. Is this woman on the Lower than average IQ?? Ready for a Darwin Award? Not too sure, she could be some drug addict, prostitute etc..being exploited by the YAKUZAS in that part of Tokyo?? So messed up but there are many messed up people not ony here in Japan but all over our messed up world! RIP poor little baby born in this dirty, messed up world.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

She should to have called the ambulance when she felt the first contraction. There is no reason for her to try to give birth alone.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

Yeah guys stop pointing fingers, its not her fault. She's too young to know that giving birth to a baby and not seeking medical help could result in the death of her newborn.

I mean it could have been the fathers fault. He obviously didn't wear protection, and then stick around to take care of her and the baby. She didn't have any control over her body, the situation, or other circumstances.

Or it could have been her parents or teachers ok? they didn't teach her that certain decisions can have bad outcomes.

Or maybe it was the governments fault for not providing adequate social services to make sure all child births are cost free, and then providing life sustaining welfare for her and the baby. That way she would have had hope and not just let the baby die.

we can't blame her ok? we don't have enough facts. Maybe she was stranded on a mountain during birth, and it took her a week to climb down to seek help. There aren't enough hospitals up in the mountains ok?

You guys have no Heart ! we as a society should all be to blame. its the responsible people in society who have to take care of everyone else who is less fortunate. Because less fortunate individuals in Japan don't have a fair deal when it comes to money, education, parenting, and common sense.

-8 ( +2 / -10 )

Sorry, but she should be charged with murder of the baby. Of course the baby is not gonna survive a home birth without somebody clearing its airway and removing and clamping the umbilical cord. Whether she knew this or not is irrelevant. She could have quite easily have gone to a hospital. There are many support centres for pregnant people with no money. She murdered the kid and is pleading poor to get away with it

-14 ( +0 / -14 )

How can you people feel sorry for this woman? Arrest her for child abuse leading to death. There is no excuse for not seeking medical aid.

-16 ( +0 / -16 )

Strangerland: National heath insurance covers 100% of birthing costs.

-18 ( +2 / -20 )

sorry, that should be a HYSTERECTOMY.

-18 ( +1 / -19 )

cleo / ambrosia: Not suggesting she murdered it, she was alone, she killed the baby by not going to hospital or seeing help. Therefore thinking of herself before the baby.

-28 ( +1 / -29 )

So sad, RIP little boy, your evil mother will burn in hell for being a selfish witch.

-42 ( +1 / -43 )

she deserves to get a court-ordered vasectomy and twenty years in prison.

-44 ( +2 / -46 )

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