Elderly woman buried alive by son miraculously survives after being trapped in pit for three days
A paralyzed elderly woman was rescued on Tuesday, May 5, after her son buried her alive in an abandoned tomb. The 79-year-old remained trapped in the pit for three days before being rescued.
The disabled woman, identified as Wang Mou, was pulled out from the pit by police in China’s Shaanxi province after her daughter-in-law reported her missing. The rescue operation was reportedly filmed and showed officials pulling the feet of the woman first before taking her out.
She was covered in mud when the officials put her on the ground, where she lay motionless. Wang was then provided with a blanket to cover her. She was later rushed to a hospital, where she is in stable condition and recovering.
Meanwhile, her son, identified as Ma Mou, is in custody and faces an attempted murder charge. Further investigation into the case is underway. The People’s Procuratorate of Jingbian County has also appointed a prosecutor to intervene in the later stages of the case, while officials are deliberating over the next stages of evidence collection and the direction of the investigation.
As per reports, 58-year-old Ma’s alleged crime unfolded when the police received a call from Ma's wife, Zhang Mou, on Tuesday morning. Zhang reportedly told officials that her mother-in-law had disappeared suddenly. She said she last saw Wang on May 2 when her husband put his mother on a pushcart and wheeled her out of their family home around 8 pm local time.
Reports also said that Ma returned home in the early hours of May 3 without his mother and an empty pushcart. But when his wife asked him about the woman’s whereabouts, he said he had hired a driver to take her to stay with relatives.
Soon after Zhang’s call, police summoned Ma and interrogated him during which he confessed that he took his mother into a forest around two or three kilometers away from their home, and dumped her in an empty graveyard pit.
He also reportedly told police that he buried his mother because she often suffered from incontinence making his home stink, causing him “great psychological pressure.” A report claimed that Wang may be mentally ill and tests are being carried out on her to confirm her mental status.
Officials then located the site and started digging it after hearing cries for help. They successfully pulled out the woman from the pit, who miraculously survived for three days without food or water.
Director of the Jingbian County Public Security Bureau Yang Lijun said: “The details of the case itself aren’t complicated. What’s hard to fathom is the suspect’s apparent loss of humanity. His violation of morals and ethics is unacceptable.”
However, police clarified that Ma did not actually shovel dirt onto Wang while “burying her alive”. He instead put her into a hollowed-out grave that actually helped her in surviving for three days.
Ma is reportedly one of two sons of Wang. Earlier, she used to live with her other son, but when that son had to leave the area for work, the woman shifted with Ma, who then bought a house in the county.