An autopsy on the body of a patient in his 80s who died in a hospital room at a nursing hospital revealed signs of strangulation, prompting police to investigate.

According to the Gyeonggi Uiwang Police Station yesterday (16th), at around 7 am on the 5th of this month, a nursing assistant at a nursing hospital in Uiwang City, Gyeonggi City, found patient A lying on the floor.

The hospital called 119 paramedics, but Mr. A had already died.

The police confirmed that the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (NIS) autopsy gave the first opinion that Mr. A's cause of death appeared to be cervical compression asphyxia (strangulation).

It is known that no signs of trauma were found on Mr. A's body other than his neck.

Police are investigating hospital officials and others with a number of possibilities, including homicide.

However, there is no CCTV inside the room, and the patients who shared the room with Mr. A are unable to make meaningful statements regarding Mr. A's death due to symptoms such as dementia, so the investigation is expected to be quite difficult.

When Mr. A was found, there was one caregiver and five other patients in the room.

A police official said, "The final conclusion of the investigation into the cause of death of Mr. A has not yet been reached," and "the details of the cause of death are being investigated."

(Photo=Yonhap News)