Woman arrested for causing 4-year-old son to die by force-feeding him pepper powder

A 31-year-old unemployed woman was served with a fresh arrest warrant Friday on suspicion of causing her 4-year-old son to die by force-feeding him red pepper powder in Kurashiki, Okayama Prefecture, in January, police said.

Miyuki Mitsunaka has denied the allegations, saying she does not recall having done such an act, police said. The latest arrest warrant was on a charge of causing injury resulting in death.

Police said their investigation showed that her son Kakeru, a kindergarten student, choked to death at their house at around 1:30 p.m. on Jan 3 on an amount of red pepper powder that was more than a small child could swallow.

On the day of the incident, Mitsunaka called for an ambulance, telling the rescue team that her son stopped breathing after having mistakenly swallowed the powder, and then became unconscious, according to the police.

Police initially arrested Mitsunaka on Jan 4 and served her with another warrant on Feb 7 for allegedly beating Kakeru and leaving him outside last December after she got upset about his having eaten meat in the refrigerator. She is currently standing trial on a charge of assault and negligence as a guardian.

Kakeru had red pepper in his bronchial tubes and died later at a hospital. Police found a bottle of cayenne pepper almost empty in the kitchen.

Mitsunaka had lived with Kakeru alone, as her older son was institutionalized in 2004 after he and Kakeru were found to have been abused. Since the older boy was the main victim of the abuse at that time, a child consultation office considered it safe for Kakeru to return home, according to sources of the office.