25 Missing Person Reports Falsely Closed in Jeju, Skeletal Remains Found in Palm Forest After 104 Days

104 days under the palm forest

- The case of Officer Bu from Jeju

On the 19th, "Unanswered Questions" delves into the suspicions surrounding Officer Bu, who allegedly falsified and concealed the closure of missing person cases.

A missing person said to be alive is found as skeletal remains

On the night of May 12, 36-year-old Jang Mi-ran went missing after leaving her home. Although her boyfriend and family filed a missing person report, no signs of life or traces of her movement were captured. 104 days after her disappearance, she was found as skeletal remains in a palm forest in Hallim-eup, Jeju-si. It was located only 400m away from her accommodation.

The officer on duty when Jang Mi-ran's boyfriend filed the missing person report was Officer Bu of the Jeju Seobu Police Station missing person investigation team. He reportedly called to say he had contacted her 2 hours and 30 minutes after receiving the report, and then notified the reporter that he would close the case, claiming Jang Mi-ran had asked him not to disclose her location to the reporter.

Officer Bu, who intentionally concealed the disappearance

“Because the police said so, we believed them.

I think they reassured us only to prevent us from doing anything.”

- The bereaved family of the late Jang Mi-ran

Shockingly, it was Officer Bu's lie. There were no records of Jang Mi-ran communicating with anyone after her disappearance, and it was revealed that Officer Bu deleted the report records by processing Jang Mi-ran as deceased within the police internal system related to the disappearance.

“My father said, ‘I’m not going to die, so don’t worry.”

‘Please don't look for me.’”

- The bereaved family of a missing man in his 60s

In June, during a missing person report for a man in his 60s, Officer Bu also falsely closed the case, claiming he had contacted the missing person. In addition to this, it was revealed that he manipulated the contents or falsely closed a total of 25 missing person reports. Why did he, who should protect the safety and lives of citizens, commit such habitual and irresponsible misconduct?

Suspicions of homicide and the reality of Officer Bu

On the day Jang Mi-ran's body was discovered, the police announced that it appeared she had committed suicide by hanging herself in the early morning the day after she left her house. Given that the deceased was found as skeletal remains and no proper investigation had been conducted, leaving no significant clues, why did they rush to announce the cause of death before conducting an autopsy?

Along with suspicions surrounding the mobile phone base station location and CCTV sightings during the early stages of the disappearance, doubts have been raised about whether it is possible to die by hanging oneself using a shoelace tied to a palm tree. What results will the production team's experiment, conducted to scientifically verify this, show? This week's SBS "Unanswered Questions," which tracks the reality of the suspicions hidden by Officer Bu and the reason for his silence, will be broadcast on the 19th (Sat) at 11:10 PM.

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◆ At a Glance

· Publishing Institution : SBS

· Category : Unanswered Questions

· Distribution : September 18, 16:13

Source : SBS Press Release

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