Police on Sunday found a body on Gangjinsan presumed to be a 16-year-old girl who went missing on June 16 after leaving for a supposed “part-time job” offered by her father’s friend.
After the girl’s disappearance, her father’s friend, surnamed Kim, was found dead at a railroad construction site in an apparent suicide.
According to Jeonnam Gangjin Police, Sunday, the body was found at around 3 p.m. near the peak of an unfrequented mountain in Jiseok-ri, Doam-myeon, South Jeolla Province.
Police found the body at around 3 p.m. on Sunday, near the peak of an unfrequented mountain in Jiseok-ri, Doam-myeon, South Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)
The location where the body was found is not reachable by car (Yonhap)
A police dog sniffed out the body that had been shroud underneath thick grass and branches. The body was missing clothes.
Police are currently collecting evidence from the site. No traces of blood were immediately found.
Where the body was discovered is not far from where the victim’s last mobile phone signal was detected. Being at a substantial distance from roads, the location was not reachable by car.
The girl disappeared eight days ago, after her last recorded dialogue with a friend via social media saying she was to meet her father’s friend for a part-time job. She had asked her friend to keep the job offer secret.
The family friend, 51, had driven to a spot 600 meters away from the victim’s house on the day of her disappearance. Kim’s car was later seen heading in the direction of Doam-myeon, and when he returned in the afternoon Kim washed his car.
The next day the victim’s mother came around to inquire after her daughter’s whereabouts. Kim reportedly ran out the back door of his house and was found dead the next day in an apparent suicide.
By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)