Chinese Boy Eyes Gouged: Six-Year-Old Allegedly Attacked by Aunt Who Killed Herself Six Days Later

The six-year-old Chinese boy whose eyes were gouged out might have been attacked by his aunt, investigators in Shanxi province said Wednesday.

The young boy's aunt, named Zhang Huiying, committed suicide by jumping down a water well six days after the incident, Xinhua reported.

Police also stated they'd discovered blood stains from the child, Guo Bin, on his aunt's clothing.

Guo was reportedly found by his parents in a field covered in blood, his eyes removed from his head.

At the time of the attack, Xinhua reported that Guo was lured into walking on a path in the field when a woman grabbed him and used a tool to remove both of his eyes.

Guo said that the woman seemed to have a foreign accent, according to Beijing Times, but he didn't immediately admit that the alleged assailant was a member of his family.

"It is easy to understand that he wasn't clear about the situation," the young boy's mother told the Associated Press. "He said her accent was from another region, but he later amended that. He then said it was a local accent, but he did not say that it was his aunt."

Guo is still in a hospital in Taiyuan recovering.

Police are investigating whether Guo's aunt was responsible for gouging the child's eyes.

Guo's eyeballs were found at the site of the attack. Initially, some authorities speculated that the woman removed Guo's eyes to obtain his corneas with intentions to seel them on the human remains market. But it turned out his corneas were still intact, rendering the reason for the crime unknown.

Some speculated that there was a family issue over who would take care of an older relative, but Guo's mother shot that notion down immediately.

A Hong Kong hospital has offered to treat Guo for free, and supply him with electronic eyes.

Doctor Dennis Lam told ABC Australia that the child, who is completely blind at this point, may regain 40 percent of his sight with the aid of prosthetic eyeballs.

"When I heard about it, I was really angry, very upset," Lam said. "I was asking myself if I could help. Being an eye doctor, our greatest sort of encouragement is when the patients see again."