Woman in Taiwan, 31, drugged & suffocated her sons, 8 & 3, charged with murder

A 31-year-old woman in Taichung, Taiwan, has been charged with murder after she allegedly gave her two young sons sleep medication and then smothered them to death in their home in January this year.

Drugged and smothered her two sons

According to United Daily News, citing the Taichung District Prosecutors Office's indictment, the woman, surnamed Chen, is the mother of the two boys, aged eight and three.

The boys had different fathers, according to TVBS Channel. They lived together with her and her current boyfriend, who is the father of the three-year-old.

The elder brother was from Chen's previous marriage.

Prosecutors said that between around 10:50pm on Jan. 30 to 1:24am on Jan. 31, Chen fed both boys tablets containing sleep-inducing ingredients, including melatonin, at their home in Taichung's West District.

Once the boys had fallen asleep, she allegedly smothered each of them separately, causing them to suffocate.

Emotionally unstable

While this was happening, Chen was on a phone call with a friend.

According to Focus Taiwan, she had told her friend that she was considering suicide.

This prompted the friend to rush to Chen's home, where she found the two children without signs of life.

She also alerted the police. Both boys were rushed to the hospital but could not be saved.

When Chen was being interrogated, she remained uncooperative and emotionally unstable, refusing to say if she had purposely drugged the children.

She also responded with "I don't know" or "I forgot" multiple times when questioned by investigators.

Based on witness testimonies, autopsy reports, and other evidence, Chen was charged with offences under Taiwan's Child and Youth Welfare and Rights Protection Act, as well as with murder under the Criminal Code.

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Top image via Unsplash, TVBS Channel/YouTube