A mother in China unexpectedly killed her 9-year-old son after beating him for five hours just because he lost her phone.

According to local reports, the boy, nicknamed Ming Ming, was strapped to a chair and beaten with a wooden rod from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Jan. 5.

In a surveillance footage, Ming Ming can be seen holding a mobile phone as he rode an elevator down from their apartment in Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. Around 3 p.m., he is then seen searching for something in a park.

Soon, Ming Ming called for help from authorities, informing them that he lost the phone while playing in the snow.

Without a SIM card, the phone was not found and Chen, Ming Ming’s mother, did not take the news lightly.

Chen reportedly strapped her son to a chair with bandages and beat him with a wooden rod from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. She covered his mouth so that neighbors couldn’t hear him.

In defense, Chen argued that she did not beat Ming Ming continuously in those five hours. However, she did not feed him and only gave him very little water.

She put her son to bed after, hearing his parting words, “Mom, I do not want to see you.”

The next day, she found him lying on the floor.

Ming Ming was found to have sustained wounds in the head, legs and buttocks. His hands were also bruised and swollen.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.

Chen was arrested on Jan. 11, just three days after her phone was finally found. The exact cause of Ming Ming’s death is under investigation, the Yangtze Evening News noted.

She told police that her husband was never around at home and refused to send money to his family, the Daily Mail reported.

Netizens commented on Weibo:

“Some people don’t really deserve to be parents.”

“This mother absolutely has a mental illness.”

“This is making me feel very uncomfortable.”

“It’s only a phone, how much does it have to cost?”

“The phone was found, but the person is gone.”

Watch a clip of Ming Ming’s search: