Poisoning Suspected in Death of Suspect During Police Custody

It has been revealed that poison components were detected in the body tissues and belongings of a female suspect in her 20s, identified as A, who collapsed and died at a police station while under investigation.

A arrived at the Gwangju Dongbu Police Station's detective duty room on the first floor on November 18th after 5 PM and complained, 'My legs suddenly lost strength and I can't stand.' At approximately 5:43 PM, a 119 ambulance was dispatched to the police station for the first time. However, the paramedics at the time found no abnormalities in A's vital signs and departed. At 5:58 PM, A lost consciousness, leading to a second ambulance dispatch. A was pronounced dead around 7 PM.

Given that high doses of poison can spread rapidly throughout the body and symptoms can appear within minutes, the possibility that A ingested poison within the 15-minute interval between the first and second ambulance dispatches has been raised. It is not yet confirmed exactly when A ingested the poison.

Police stated that they searched A's bag, confiscated hazardous items, and then returned the bag. They confirmed that a medicine pouch and a portable water bottle were inside the bag at the time. Police explained, 'How could we possibly check the contents of every water bottle for a colorless and odorless poison?'

This raises questions about the suspect management protocols and suggests further investigation is unavoidable. Police are conducting additional investigations, including CCTV analysis.