In the case of Jang Mi-ran, 37, who was found dead after being missing for 104 days in Jeju, a profiler has criticized the police's speculation about the cause of death.
Profiler Bae Sang-hoon stated on YTN Radio's 'Jang Seong-cheol's News Myungdang' on August 26, "It was reckless for the police chief to publicly mention 'hanging' in the National Assembly, and the possibility of murder is 51.1%."
While police believe the evidence for murder is low, Bae pointed to the fact that the body was discovered in a palm forest as a reason to consider murder more likely. He remarked, "It is rare for someone to enter an unfamiliar place and make a drastic choice. Did Jang have any experience in a strange space like a palm forest?"
Jang's family has also raised questions about her being in the palm forest alone late at night, noting that she was generally fearful. Her father said, "My daughter told her boyfriend that the palm farm was a scary place she didn't want to go to," while her brother added, "Given her personality, she would have been afraid of bugs and wouldn't have walked her dog at that time."
Bae emphasized, "The only clear fact is that she died from asphyxiation. All possibilities, including murder, suicide, or a third cause, remain open." He criticized the investigation agencies for potentially treating the case as a suicide, suggesting they should have approached it more cautiously, referring to it as 'sudden death' instead. However, he noted that the loss of crucial evidence over the 104 days could lead to the cause of death remaining 'undetermined.'
Bae also commented on the actions of Deputy Chief Mo (34), who falsely closed the missing person case, stating that such behavior, while appearing irrational, is not uncommon in organizations with certain authorities like police, fire, and corrections. He described it as a form of 'hero crime' or heroism, which often occurs in groups with power, serving as a display of capability.
He speculated that the tendency to quickly close cases rather than actually finding missing persons might have been positively received in the field as a way to reduce the number of cases to handle.
Deputy Chief Mo received a commendation from the police chief a month after falsely closing Jang's case for locating a missing elderly person with dementia. He also received recognition for quickly finding a suicide attempt victim last September, despite ignoring family concerns about a 60-year-old man's potential suicide.
Professor Lee Soo-jung from Kyonggi University speculated about the contradictions in Deputy Chief Mo's actions, suggesting that team evaluations might have pressured team members to support someone in line for promotion.
Currently, police are conducting a comprehensive review of 298 cases handled by Deputy Chief Mo while he was on the missing persons team, investigating whether any were processed similarly to Jang's case.
On August 27, Jeju Police Chief Ko Pyeong-ki issued a public apology, stating, "As the chief responsible for public safety in Jeju, I feel a heavy sense of responsibility. We will thoroughly investigate to ensure that the deceased has no grievances, and we will disclose the results without concealment."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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