Photo: Screenshot of video by WE Video

Police in South China have launched an investigation after a mentally disabled primary school girl was raped, resulting in two pregnancies in eight months. 

The 12-year-old girl, from Xinyi, Guangdong Province, Saturday had a second abortion inside eight months due to sexual abuse, thepaper.cn reported.

The girl, surnamed Liu, was reported to have been sexually assaulted, which resulted in a pregnancy in March. However, the abuser was not caught due to a lack of evidence, according to a Xinyi police statement released on Saturday on WeChat.

Liu's family reported to police that she was pregnant for a second time on October 24. Police said they had combined the two cases together and launched an investigation. 

The embryo is with police forensic scientists, according to thepaper.cn. 

The local women's and child protective association told thepaper.cn they have been supporting the child and her family. 

Beijing-based lawyer Fan Chen told the Jiemian News that the victim was not only a minor but mentally disabled so she could not give effective testimony, which is why it is difficult to track down the abuser.  

Chen noted that rape of minors or the mentally disabled was a serious crime that results in sever punishment according to Chinese law.

Chinese netizens called for heavy punishment for the abuser. Some criticized local authorities for failing to protect Liu after the first pregnancy. 

Liu's parents, as well as her elder brother, are all mentally disabled, thepaer.cn said. 

She was first found to be nine weeks pregnant by her aunt in mid-March when she was in the sixth grade at elementary school.

Police investigated some suspects, but their DNA was not a match for the embryo. 

One of the suspects later beat Liu in revenge, according to thepaper.cn.  

Liu's family stopped her from going to school after the first pregnancy and kept a close eye on her at home. But Liu probably was raped again on September 23 when her mother was not at home and she took the opportunity to run out from home, according to thepaer.cn.