Mentally ill man forced to live in cage starves to death after family abandons him

A mentally ill man forced to live in a cage by his family attacked and killed his father before being abandoned and left to starve to death, invesigators believe.

Wang Dafeng, 42, was found dead last month at a village in Jiangsu’s Pizhou county more than 20 days after his mother – his sole caretaker – left him, the Beijing News reported.

Villagers discovered his corpse at his home on November 17, in bed and surrounded by peanut shells. He had run out of food and had also suffered several wounds.

“No one took care of such a person. Wouldn’t you say it’s strange for him to die?” one unnamed villager asked the Beijing News.

Wang, who had suffered from mania since he was 24, had returned home after being detained by police following a fight with two villagers in August last year. Officers had not realised he was mentally ill, but his abnormal behaviour at court prompted authorities to send him to a hospital.

He was released in October and returned home, but was rejected by his mother, who then abandoned him.