The Taiwanese authorities have issued an arrest warrant against a Singaporean couple who allegedly dumped a newborn into a food recycling bin in Taipei in 2019.
Taipei's district prosecutor's office has obtained "objective evidence" that the infant was alive at birth, reported Lianhe Zaobao. The case has been reclassified as a homicide.
The district prosecutor's office has also issued an arrest warrant against the couple, for suspected offences of homicide and disposal of the baby's body.
Singapore does not have an extradition treaty with Taiwan.
The couple can only be arrested by Taiwanese authorities if they enter Taiwan. However, the Taiwanese authorities can request the Singapore police to help with obtaining evidence.
According to Zaobao, the Singapore police is currently in contact with Taiwanese authorities, and waiting for a formal application to better understand the type of assistance the other party requires.
Zaobao added that if the infant was still alive when she was left in the recycling bin by the man, he could be guilty of homicide. If convicted under Taiwanese law, he can be sentenced to death, life imprisonment, or at least 10 years in prison.
As for the woman, if she was found guilty of killing her newborn, she may be jailed between six months and five years.
Case background
In February 2019, the body of a newborn girl was found in a recycling bin in New Taipei City. The baby was discovered with her 30cm umbilical cord and placenta intact by a recycling company employee.
Investigations revealed that the baby was abandoned at Ximending, which is about 20 minutes away by car.
Security footage from more than 100 closed-circuit television cameras and immigration records led the Taiwanese authorities to the couple.
Security footage apparently revealed a man throwing the baby inside a black plastic bag and then dumping the bag into a container full of kitchen waste.
The man was traced back to the hotel where he was staying with his girlfriend.
Taiwanese police later confirmed that blood samples found in the hotel room where the couple stayed matched the DNA of the baby. Pieces of placenta were also found in the hotel room's bathroom pipe.
Eye witnesses told Apple Daily that the woman appeared to be pregnant when they arrived, but her belly went down significantly after they left.
It is believed that the couple arrived in Taiwan on February 19, 2019 and left on February 26, 2019 after giving birth that day.
When the couple was contacted by Shin Min Daily News, the man denied the accusations. He denied leaving his hotel room to throw away a plastic bag. The woman also claimed that she would not have been allowed to board the plane if she had been pregnant.
Top images via UDN News and Chinapress.