Three teens have been detained over the gruesome murder of a 13-year-old boy in China, sparking debate over bullying and mental health in China’s countryside.
In the last recorded moments before the 13-year-old boy’s death, surveillance cameras showed him sitting on a scooter, surrounded by three classmates.
An hour later, his phone went dead, kicking off a frantic search by relatives.
The following day, police in a village in central China made a sickening discovery: the boy’s body, buried underneath a tarp in an abandoned vegetable greenhouse.
His three teenage classmates have been arrested on suspicion of murdering the boy, raising outrage and debate over the suspect’s youth, countryside bullying, and social responsibility.
Police in the Feixiang district of Handan City identified the boy only by his last name, Wang. In a statement Sunday, they said the boy had been killed on March 10 and that the suspects were detained the following day.
Wang’s relatives claim the bullying victim forced him to give money to classmates before his death. Police identified suspected killers after reviewing surveillance footage and questioning classmates.
“He was beaten alive, and his body was disfigured beyond recognition,” Wang’s father wrote on Douyin, a Chinese social media platform.
“I hope the government will be fair, open, and just, punish them severely, and that the killers will pay with their lives!”
A public statement from police on Sunday asked the public not to spread rumors to protect the victim’s privacy and avoid further harm to the boy’s family.
His family has signaled that they intend to pursue criminal charges. In a video Wang’s father posted Monday, he said the sight of his son’s body was “crueler than I imagined.”
“Your father isn’t scared; he is only upset and furious,” Wang’s father wrote, addressing his son. “Wait for your father to avenge you!”
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