Foster care center manager arrested after dead autism boy report

The Lianxi Foster Center. [Photo: The Beijing News]

The manager of a foster care center in South China's Guangdong Province has been arrested along with other members of staff, after concerns were raised over the death of a boy with autism, according to the Beijing News.

The report says a 15-year-old boy in care died in December last year. A media investigation subsequently revealed 20 corpses had been delivered to a local funeral home between Jan 1 and Feb 18 this year by the center.

A police investigation has revealed that the care center wasn't up to the standards set by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

The operators are suspected of embezzling the center's funds and national subsidies; some local civil servants are also suspected of having participated in illegal profiting.

Public servants associated with the case are also reportedly being investigated or have been removed from their posts.