To Thi Ty Na has been accused of killing her child for an insurance payout.
On the evening of April 6, police in Quang Nam Province brought 44-year-old suspect To Thi Ty Na back to her residence in Ha Lam town, Thang Binh District, to conduct a crime scene re-enactment in the case where she is accused of killing her child for an insurance payout.
Just one day prior, Ty Na had been officially charged and taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Ty Na is arrested on April 5.
According to the investigation conducted by Quang Nam police, at around 10.05 pm on January 2, 2023, Ty Na's son, Nguyen Van Hoang (born 2017), was found dead in a water container inside their bathroom.
Based on the evidence and documents gathered, police determined that Na had deliberately caused the death of her son with the intent of profiting from an insurance policy.
Authorities are also expanding their investigation into the death of another of Na's children, Nguyen Van Hieu (born in 2019), who died in 2021 under similar circumstances.
According to Ty Na's elder brother, she and her husband had four children, born in 2008, 2010, 2017 and 2019. Her husband, the primary breadwinner, worked in transportation services while she stayed home as a housewife. In early 2019, her husband passed away from a serious illness.
Following his death, Na sold the family's car and house, spending the money on personal use. The buyer of the house, a friend of her late husband, allowed her and her four children to continue living there out of sympathy.
On the night of May 8, 2021, Na reportedly raised the alarm, calling neighbours for help after her youngest son, Nguyen Van Hieu, was found drowned. When neighbours arrived, they discovered the boy had died in a bucket of water.
The house where the incidents happened
Following the child's death, Na received an insurance payout and subsequently left the house, returning only sporadically. She avoided contact with neighbours and did not disclose her whereabouts to relatives. The remaining three children were entrusted to relatives for care.
At the end of 2022, Na brought her third son, Nguyen Van Hoang, back to live with her. Just one week later, on the evening of January 2, 2023, Hoang was found dead in a 120-litre water container in the bathroom. Na claimed the boy had accidentally fallen in and drowned.
As with her previous son, she received an insurance payout of approximately VND2 billion following Hoang's death, after which she once again left home and only returned occasionally.
According to her brother, the family initially believed Hieu's death was a tragic accident. However, when Hoang died similarly, suspicions were raised, and a family member reported the matter to the authorities.
Following a thorough investigation and collection of evidence, on April 3, Quang Nam police re-enacted at the scene. Initial findings concluded that Ty Na had caused the death of her son Hoang for insurance fraud.
Na's father, who had little contact with her after marriage, said: "It's horrifying. I can't comprehend what has happened."
Authorities have yet to release further details regarding the method used in the alleged crime or the exact amount of insurance money obtained following Hoang's death.
It was also revealed that Ty Na had previously been convicted of theft by the Thang Binh District People's Court in 2001, receiving a 40-month prison sentence.
