TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—A five-year-old girl in central Taiwan died Wednesday afternoon of severe injuries allegedly inflicted by her uncle-in-law.

According to police, the deceased was born when her mother surnamed Lin was only 17. When Lin divorced her husband, Lin took care of her daughter with her older sister. But after Lin got remarried, she placed her daughter under the care of her sister and her sister’s husband surnamed Yang, police said.

The girl lived in Tianwei Township, Chunghua County and had reportedly endured long-term physical abuse at the hands of her uncle Yang. She was transferred to Changhua Christian Hospital from a local hospital Tuesday afternoon in critical condition after suffering an alleged attack by Yang. She suffered from an anal fissure, intracerebral hemorrhage, and new and old marks of injuries were found in many parts of her body, according to media reports.

Changhua Christian Hospital vice president and spokesman Chou Chih-chung (周志中) told reports on Wednesday morning that he was pessimistic about the girl’s condition which was worse than the previous day, adding that she was in a deep coma and her pupils were unresponsive to light.

Even though the hospital’s medical team had tried its best to save the little girl’s life, she still succumbed to the severe injuries and died of cardiorespiratory failure at 4:37 p.m., Chou said. The girl’s mother and grandmother were at her side and put her in beautiful clothes, wishing her to be a happy angel in heaven.

Prosecutors questioned Lin’s sister and her husband Yang on Tuesday. The local court granted prosecutors’ request to detain Yang Wednesday morning on suspicion of attempted murder.

Lin's sister reportedly was a victim of domestic violence and was too afraid to report her husband to the authority.

Prosecutors reportedly were also looking into whether the girl had been sexual assaulted by her uncle, but they said they couldn't comment on the matter as the investigation was still ongoing.

Photo courtesy of Changhua County Gvoernment/CNA