Baby dead ‘for a day’ as Japanese mother chats on internet

A Japanese mother whose baby boy lay dead for nearly a day while she chatted on Internet forums has been arrested.

Yumiko Takahashi, 29, of Tokyo knew that 19-month-old son Neo had a high fever and several other symptoms of pneumonia when she checked on him on late on June 24 last year, but she left him lying in his crib untended, UPI reported.

He was also. Takahashi found his lifeless body the following morning, newspaper reports said. 

According to Agence France-Presse, Takahashi spent much of her time in Internet chat rooms, telling local broadcaster NHK that she had lost two babies previously and was a regular on grief and loss internet forums.

Her first child died a few days after birth and another son died in a fall from an apartment balcony. 

"I have sought solace in chatting on the Internet to get connected to other people for three years since I got depressed for losing my son in an accident," she reportedly said.

"Child raising is too much hassle."

Takahashi was only arrested this week on suspicion of child neglect and causing death due to officers "carrying out the necessary investigations," a spokesman for police in Otsu, western Japan said Friday, according to the Bangkok Post.

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