Chinese woman suspected of pushing needles into her baby niece's body kills herself

A woman suspected of sticking 16 needles into her 11-month-old niece has killed herself by consuming poison, according to reports.

The woman was found dead after the horrific tale of Zhang Zixuan made headlines, fawan.co.cn reported.

The needles were discovered after Zhang became irritable and a strange red patch appeared on her bottom. Her mother took her to hospital where X-rays revealed multiple needles had been inserted into the youngster's hip, abdomen, pelvis and ribs.

Following surgery at the Qilu Hospital of Shangdong University, the girl was taken to Beijing for further treatment. Doctors say she will need multiple operations.

Following the discovery the girl’s father, Fang Guangsheng, revealed that four needles had been found inside his daughter a month earlier, but at the time he and his wife had considered it to be an accident and were not alarmed.

The mother, not identified by name, said she did not know who could have injured her daughter. “I never left her alone, except for when I was cooking or washing clothes, when others would look after the baby,” she told Shandong Television.