Neighbor Arrested After Toddler Suffers Suspected Egg Poisoning in Guiyang

A 1-year-old boy in Guiyang suffered serious brain injuries after eating an egg suspected of being poisoned by a neighbor who allegedly put out toxic bait to kill weasels that had been stealing eggs in August, Cover News reported.

The boy, identified as Zhouzhou, is now recuperating at home after suffering brain hemorrhage, brain atrophy and brain swelling, his father, a man surnamed Yan, said. The long-term effects remain unclear.

According to the report, a 50-year-old neighbor surnamed Hu later surrendered to police and was arrested. Yan said police told him Hu claimed he had placed poison in an effort to kill weasels.

Zhouzhou began convulsing on the evening of August 15 at his home in Guiyang’s Huaxi District. His family rushed him to hospital.

Doctors initially investigated possible causes including epilepsy before ordering toxicology tests. Results returned early on August 16 found fluoroacetic acid, a highly toxic substance used in rat poison, in the child’s blood, according to the report.

Yan said the boy had eaten only an egg and infant formula that day. Because he had been drinking the same formula for some time without problems, the family suspected the egg.

The child’s grandfather had found the egg outside the family home. As the family kept free-range hens, they assumed it had been laid by one of their birds and fed it to Zhouzhou.

Huaxi police formally opened a criminal investigation on August 18 into a case involving the placement of dangerous substances, according to a case-filing notice cited in the report.

The report said Hu was unwilling to pay medical expenses that had exceeded 70,000 yuan (US$10,458), citing financial difficulties.

A lawyer quoted in the report said that claiming the poison was intended for weasels would not necessarily remove criminal responsibility if the risk to people could have been foreseen. The lawyer said the conduct could potentially constitute the offense of placing dangerous substances, with more serious penalties possible if grave consequences resulted.

When Cover News contacted Huaxi police yesterday, a staff member said the case was being handled by the relevant department but did not provide further details.