A woman in China was detained by the police for throwing a corn cob off of a high-rise residential building that hit a baby’s head.
The police compared DNA found on the discarded cob with saliva samples from five households that purchased corn on the day of the incident which helped them identify Zhu, a 69-year-old woman from Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province, as the perpetrator.
“At first, we visited all the residents of flats where the corn could possibly have fallen from, but no one admitted they did it,” officer Wu Yefeng told South China Morning Post.
Zhu initially denied littering but later confessed to police that she threw the cob off of the high-rise roof to free her hands as she collected her drying clothes. Based on surveillance footage, the corn was reportedly seen bouncing off an air conditioner before hitting the baby.
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The 8-month-old baby, who was being carried on a walk by her grandmother, suffered from a bleeding injury. She was sent to the hospital, where she is in stable condition.
Zhu could face a possible fine or imprisonment, according to Wu.
In recent years, there have been numerous reports of critical injuries and deaths caused by items thrown off of residential buildings in China.
High-rise littering became a crime under China’s criminal law last year. Perpetrators could potentially face life imprisonment or the death penalty depending on the severity of the case.
Featured Image via Well Cabral
