Mother Kills Young Son Because of His Large, "Ugly" Ears

Protruding ears are often an endearing physical feature during childhood, on par with freckly noses and missing front teeth. But to one mom, her son's large ears were a source of deep shame — which is why, when a corrective surgery didn't immediately solve his "problem," she killed him.

Because she felt that his large ears were ruining his life, the mother checked her 10-year-old in for a cosmetic ear operation at Gazi Hospital in Ankara, Turkey. However, the surgery's results were not what she'd hoped — on the contrary, she feared that his ears had grown larger. She allegedly brought the boy into the hospital restroom during the early morning hours, choked him with her scarf, and then fled the medical center.

After crashing into another car during her escape, the woman confessed to the murder, saying, "He became very ugly. He would have felt even more ashamed in front of his friends. I did it to save him such embarrassment. . . . I was trying to protect him from a lifetime of pain." However, the boy's doctors reported that the surgery had been successful — swelling is completely normal after a serious surgery, so the mother's overwhelming displeasure was completely unfounded.

No child should ever have to face painful ridicule for his or her unique physical features, especially from somebody he or she loves and trusts. It has been speculated that the mother's violent actions resulted from an acute case of body dysmorphia by proxy, which makes the situation even more heartbreaking. We hope that this unfortunate scenario sheds light on the disorder and that other parents experiencing these feelings toward their children can seek help.