Tokyo mom busy on internet forums while baby lays dying

A mother in Tokyo Japan is accused of surfing the net while her baby dies. Photo via Mikhail Popov.

Yumiko Takahashi, 29, of Tokyo Japan is no stranger to tragedy. An admitted regular on grief and loss internet forums, Takahashi told the AFP that she lost two babies prior to her most recent loss.

Takahashi admitted to surfing the internet and engaging in grief/loss forums after her 19-month-old toddler son, Neo, had fallen ill. The baby was running a high fever that day and had several symptoms indicative of pneumonia. Police are now saying Takahashi put the sick baby in his crib and then proceeded to ignore him while she chatted online.

Tokyo police believe the toddler was dead for nearly 24 hours before Takahashi checked on him. While Takahashi claims she last checked on Neo on June 24, sometime in the afternoon, an autopsy revealed that the he died around 2 pm on June 26.

Neo is the third loss for Takahashi whose first baby died a few days after birth. She also lost another baby after he fell from a balcony.

For investigative purposes, police seized Takahashi’s computer and found that she spent numerous hours online everyday. The woman’s 6-year-old son was taken into child services custody while an investigation continues.

Police say Takahashi will likely be charged with child neglect, with other charges pending.

Takahashi told NHK News, “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.”

“Child raising is too much hassle.”

Source: UPI