Blinded Chinese Boy’s Aunt Accused of Gouging
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ChinaFotoPress/ChinaFotoPress via Getty Images(BEIJING) — The chief suspect in the blinding of a boy in China is the boy’s aunt, who recently committed suicide, police told Xinhua News Agency.
The case horrified the Chinese public and the police offered $16,000 as a reward for capturing Guo Bin’s assailant. On Tuesday, police claimed that they had found traces of the 6-year-old boy’s blood and DNA on his aunt’s clothes.
Guo’s aunt, Zhang Huiying, 41, was the boy’s uncle’s wife. Zhang reportedly committed suicide by jumping into a well on Aug. 30. No sooner had she been buried than the police named her as the chief suspect.
Guo was attacked by an unidentified woman while he was playing outside his home in the Chinese city of Linfen on the evening of Aug. 24. The woman lured him to a field where she gouged out his eyes.
According to Chinese media, Guo told his parents that he was lured off by a woman with dyed blonde hair and an out-of-town accent.
The aunt’s motives in attacking the boy and committing suicide remain unclear.
Guo is recovering in the hospital. Hong Kong-based eye specialist Dr. Dennis Lam has offered to treat Guo at no charge. He has sent doctors to evaluate the boy’s eyes, and they are optimistic that the boy can be fitted with ocular implants which will restore some of his vision.
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