Chiayi: A newborn baby found dead in front of a deserted residence in Budai Township, Chiayi County last week was alive when it was abandoned, while the exact cause of death is still being confirmed, prosecutors said.

According to Focus Taiwan, the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office stated that an autopsy conducted on Wednesday revealed that the newborn boy was a live birth weighing 2.523 kilograms and did not suffer from any congenital diseases. The results of a toxicology report and microscopic examination are needed to determine the cause of death, the office said.

Prosecutors indicated that the boy's mother and her husband, who is currently in prison, have a 1-year-old child together. This child was placed in the care of her parents in Budai while she worked in southern Taiwan to support the family. Last July, upon discovering her pregnancy, the mother returned to her parents' home in Budai, attempting to conceal her condition and foregoing prenatal care checkups.

On March 29, the mother gave birth to a boy. Uncertain about her next steps, she took him to an abandoned house in the area and left him there. Upon returning to the house at night, she discovered that the baby had died. She then cleaned him and placed him in a cardboard box in front of the house, where he was later reported to the police and found on April 2. The following day, the police located and arrested the mother.

Prosecutors moved to detain the mother, citing concerns that she might flee and noting her apparent emotional instability during questioning. However, the Chiayi District Court denied this request, referencing her financial struggles and "strong bonds" with her young daughter and parents as reasons to believe she would not flee. The court also noted that the mother had confessed during questioning and that the Code of Criminal Procedure generally prohibits detaining a mother who has recently given birth unless it is absolutely necessary, leading to her release without bail.

In a statement on Wednesday, the prosecutors' office mentioned that they were considering charging the mother with abandonment leading to death, which could result in a sentence of 7 years to life imprisonment. Depending on further confirmation of the circumstances surrounding the boy's death, she might also face charges related to causing the death of a child "under unavoidable circumstances" immediately after birth, which carries a prison term of 6 months to 5 years.