Yang Xiaoqing, mother of a intersex baby , holds the new-born in her arms . (Photo/Zhengzhou Evening News)
(ECNS) -- An intersex infant has survived three homicide attempts by its father and grandfather in the 15 days after birth, Zhengzhou Evening News reports.
Zhang Dahui, an alias, and his wife had their second child on May 13 and were at first told it was a girl by staff at a hospital in Anyang, Central China's Henan Province.
The parents named the chubby infant Pei Han and bought her colorful dresses. But during a follow-up check, doctors said the infant was actually a boy with XY male chromosomes and ambiguous genitalia.
The result hit the family hard as their first daughter, born in May 2012, suffered pneumonia and years of treatment had cost 60,000 yuan ($9,120). The 29-year-old father does not have a stable income and has had to undertake temporary jobs in several cities to make ends meet.
Zhang said he often had nightmares after discovering his second child had the development disorder. He was wary of the possible medical expenditure for treating his son and also worried about being laughed at by others.
The father then tried to suffocate the infant by putting a wet tissue over his face and wrapping the body in a quilt. But he gave up after hearing the baby's cry and at the fierce objection of his wife. Three days later, he made another attempt and was timely stopped by the mother.
Having witnessed two failed attempts, the grandfather, 52, abducted the infant with the help of his son and dumped him on a desolate slope, about 200 meters from the closest road.
The mother called police for help and both the father and grandfather were quickly detained under the charge of intentional homicide, with the grandfather released on bail.
"He may appear to be a monster to others but he is still my treasure," said the mother, who has now moved to live with her parents and faces financial difficulties. She also wishes the baby to reunite with his father in future.
The father, in prison, told the newspaper he was really sorry and regretted losing his mind.