On the evening of March 31, Tran Thi Kim Thanh, a resident of Vinh Thanh Trung township in Chau Phu district, An Giang province - and the biological mother of Ho Tran Minh Co - confirmed that her daughter, N.T.H.L. (8 years old), had passed away. Ho Tran Minh Co is the child’s stepfather.

Her body was returned home by relatives for funeral preparations, with burial planned for the following day according to local customs.

Two days earlier, Co and relatives brought L. to the hospital. Medical examinations revealed brain trauma and multiple injuries on her body. Co initially claimed that L. had fallen while playing with a friend.

However, doctors noted signs of abuse and alerted the police. An investigation followed, exposing Co’s crime.

Co later admitted that in late December 2024, he traveled to Binh Duong province for work, where he met Nguyen Thi Hong N. (27 years old) and began living with her and her daughter, L., as a family. Recently, Co brought both of them to live in his hometown.

On the night of March 28, after drinking, Co saw L. sucking her thumb. Enraged, he struck her with a wooden stick on the buttocks and temple, causing her to collapse. He and his partner then washed and dressed the child before putting her to bed.

At around 8 p.m. on March 29, while both N. and L. were asleep, Co - still under the influence of alcohol - picked up the child, threw her into the air, and let her fall onto a thin mattress laid on the floor. The girl lost consciousness. Co and others rushed her to the hospital.

On the morning of March 31, the Criminal Investigation Department of the An Giang Provincial Police detained Ho Tran Minh Co for further investigation on charges of murder.

Tran Tuyen