Murder by nanny caught on video; woman detained

Police in Liyang, Jiangsu province, have detained a nanny who killed an elderly woman in view of a surveillance camera.

The nanny, surnamed Yu, 67, was said to have had a good relationship with the victim and her family. She and the elderly woman had lived in the same township for more than 10 years.

Yu volunteered to take the nanny job on April 25. The victim, surnamed Chen, 83, was paralyzed and had diabetes. Family members said that Yu once worked as a nurse's aide in a local hospital and showed great patience and skill when she cared for Chen in the eight days before she committed the crime on May 2.

A surveillance camera in the apartment captured images of Yu first covering Chen's face with a towel, and then sitting on her chest until she stopped breathing. Yu ignored Chen's struggles and fanned herself with a hand fan during the whole process.

She then called Chen's son to inform him of the death and helped the family clean and dress the body as required by Chinese tradition.

Chen's son-in-law was suspicious about his mother's sudden death and checked the surveillance video before reporting the crime to the police.

Further investigation is ongoing.