A newborn baby boy in Shanghai has been murdered by his own grandfather. Investigators believe the suspects' motive for commiting infanticide on June 17, is due to the child's cleft lip.

Local sources say the infant was born in a Chongming county medical facility on July 14. Three days later, the child's grandfather reportedly killed him by administering a chemical compound (potassium chloride).

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Apart from the old man, authorities have also taken an alleged accomplice into custody. The unidentified suspect is reported to be a doctor, who worked at the hospital.

A local investigator told the media that both suspects have received murder charges. The grandfather confessed to his crimes and revealed that a certain "Doctor Zhou" gave him the drug and even gave him instructions on how to do it.

A hospital official, Ji Hui, corroborated the story by recalling that the accused doctor did take the mentioned drug from the hospital's supply room a day or two before the tragic occurrence.

The official added that the parents and other close relatives knew that the baby will be born with a cleft lip because of medical tests carried out in early July. Doctors, however, assured the family that it could be corrected through surgery.

Cleft lip correction surgery in China can range from 5,000 to 7,000 yuan ($800-$1,100). The cost of the medical operation is a huge financial burden for many parents.

Some parents have resorted to "disposing" their newly born child to the mercy of the elements. Two months ago, CNN reported the rescue of a Chinese infant who was left to die in a hilly grave site. The baby had a cleft lip and was thought to have been left all alone in the area for at least ten days.

Chinese state media have publicized such cases in hopes of raising awareness among the populace. Doctors have also sought to educate the public that such physical defects can be corrected through surgery.

There are charitable institutions that offer to shoulder or carry out the operations for free. One such organization is Beam International - known as Future Smile in China.

Tagscleft lip, cleft palate, baby with cleft lip, infant with cleft lip, Infanticide, man kills baby, future smiles in china, beam international, doctor zhou, cleft lip surgery, Chinese Baby with Cleft Lip Killed