OSAKA (TR) – Investigative sources with the Osaka Prefectural Police have revealed that the body of a boy who died following alleged abuse by his 26-year-old mother, her boyfriend and his male friend was found to have dozens of bruises, reports Nippon News Network (Dec. 27).
Between 11:00 p.m. on Sunday and 2:10 a.m. on Monday, Mai Tsutsui, boyfriend Shogi Matsumoto (24) and his friend Toshio Okura (20) conspired to beat her son, 4-year-old Ayumu, at the residence, located inside a municipal housing block in Minoh City, that they share.
After the boy stopped breathing, Tsutsui alerted emergency services. Personnel arriving at the residence found the boy unconscious atop a bed. He was later confirmed dead at a hospital due to internal bleeding in the abdomen.
In the latest development, the sources revealed that the boy was found to have bruises in 50 locations of his body, including his face and limbs.
Matsumoto and Okura, who have been accused of murder, admit to hitting the boy since he would not listen. Tsutsui denies the allegations, saying, “I hit him in the past, but this time I did not.”
According to police, the two-year-old son of Tsutsui also lives in the residence. Personnel transported the boy, who was also found to have bruises on his body, to another hospital.
Police are now investigating whether the boys were systematically abused.