Man killed his wife and grandson, seriously injured his four grandchildren, and killed himself.
By Kevin Schoenmakers
The death of a 5-year-old boy and his grandparents earlier this week was committed by the grandfather, who then killed himself, police in southwestern China announced Thursday evening.
The bodies of the elderly couple and their grandson, as well as four other grandchildren who were injured and unconscious, had been discovered early Monday morning at their home in the remote village of Fadi, in Yunnan province’s Zhenxiong County.
Neighbors saw the scene when they noticed fire at the family’s home and rushed over to put it out. They found the grandfather, Li Minghua, lying outside with foam at his mouth. The 64-year-old was dead by the time medical personnel arrived.
County police said in a statement Thursday that their investigation, which included an autopsy, had shown Li was responsible for the deaths and injuries, and that he had killed himself by ingesting insecticide.
The other victims were found inside the house. Li’s wife, Zhang Zhifei, and one of their grandsons, age 5, had burned to death. They were found clutching each other, The Paper, Sixth Tone’s sister publication, reported Wednesday.
Li Gaobing, father of two children injured, takes a break at People’s Hospital in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, Jan. 9, 2018. Wang Xin for Sixth Tone
Of the four injured children, three remain unconscious, The Beijing News said Thursday. All four are still at a county hospital, in critical condition. They had been discovered with head wounds, trembling limbs, and foam at their mouths, according to The Paper.
The village’s Party secretary had said earlier that whoever was responsible had likely hit the children on their heads and then set the house on fire.
All three of Li’s sons work in construction far away from home, in Fujian province, eastern China. They had left their five children, aged 5 to 10, in the care of their parents, Li and Zhang, who raised animals and grew corn. Their remote village in the mountains is a two-hour drive from the county seat.
Li Gaobing, father of two of the injured children, told The Paper that “there was absolutely not a single sign” that anything had been amiss.
Editor: Qian Jinghua.
(Header image: An external view of Li family’s house in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan province, Jan. 9, 2018. Wang Xin for Sixth Tone)
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