Police: Missing Jeju Woman Likely Died Hours After Her Disappearance
Key Takeaways
- •Jang Mi-ran’s body was found in a forest near the Jeju accommodation where she had been staying before she disappeared.
- •Police believe she likely died on May 13 based on phone records showing no movement changes or calls after she went missing.
- •Investigators said preliminary autopsy findings point to hanging, and they described foul play as unlikely while keeping all possibilities open.
- •A police officer is accused of closing the initial missing-person case shortly after it was filed and of giving the boyfriend false information about Jang.
- •A local court issued an arrest warrant for the officer after the case drew nationwide scrutiny.
Police said Wednesday that a woman found dead in a high-profile missing person case on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju likely died soon after she disappeared in May.
The body of 37-year-old Jang Mi-ran was discovered Monday in a forest near the long-term accommodation where she had been staying until her disappearance on May 12, three days before she was first reported missing. Police on Tuesday investigated the palm tree farm on Jeju where the body had been found the previous day.
According to a briefing by the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, from the night Jang went missing until her phone turned off, there were no changes in her phone's location and no calls were made. Based on those conditions, police believe she likely died in the early hours of May 13.
Investigators reiterated the low likelihood of foul play, citing the location and position of Jang's body when it was found, as well as preliminary autopsy findings suggesting she died by hanging. They said a cord belonging to Jang was also recovered at the scene, but added that all possibilities will remain open as the investigation continues.
The case has drawn nationwide attention after it emerged that a police officer closed Jang's missing person case just hours after her boyfriend reported her missing on May 15. The officer is alleged to have lied to the boyfriend, claiming he had spoken with her but had been told not to share her location. A local court issued a warrant Tuesday for the officer's arrest.
Jang's body was discovered only after police launched an intensive search for her last week, acting on a fresh missing person report filed by her family. The sequence of reports, the early closure of the initial case, and the later arrest warrant have placed scrutiny on how the disappearance was handled, even as investigators continue to say they are keeping all possibilities open.
Source: The Korea Times
