A couple and their two children were allegedly asphyxiated by exhaust fumes
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/12/05
By: Central News Agency
Scene of the murder (Kaohsiung City Police photo)
The bodies of the four—a 57-year-old man surnamed Chien (簡), his 52-year-old wife surnamed Hsu (許), as well as his son, 24, and his daughter, 11, were discovered in Chien's car parked on the riverside of the Gaoping Creek in Dakeng Road. Chien's body was spotted in the driver's seat when police arrived at the scene after receiving a report at around 8 a.m., while those of the other three were lying on the rear seat, allegedly asphyxiated by exhaust fumes, police said.
No suicide note or suspicious drink was found in the car, and the case has been turned over to prosecutors and forensics authorities, who will determine the cause of death, police said. The family was categorized as a lower-middle income household. With two disabled children, the family received NT$10,130 (US$359) in subsidies per month, workers at the city's Social Affairs Bureau told CNA.
Neither Chien nor his family members had ever asked for help from the bureau, nor had his family been listed as a high-risk household, they said.
According to Daliao District chief Huang Po-hsiung (黃伯雄), Chien earned his living by taking odd jobs. In addition to being the sole breadwinner in the family, he needed to look after his cancer-stricken wife, while his son had epilepsy and the daughter suffered from aphasia, he said.
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