"She Said It Was Scary": How Did She Enter the Dense Palm Trees?

While police have stated that the possibility of homicide is low regarding Jang Mi-ran, who was found dead 104 days after going missing in Jeju, questions continue surrounding the location where her body was discovered and the circumstances of her death.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency, the autopsy results showed no signs suggestive of a crime, such as unusual fractures or severe trauma.

Although fingerprints were lost due to decomposition, a verbal opinion from dental examination confirmed that the identity matches Jang, and DNA testing is also underway for precise verification.

Based on the posture, location, and condition of the body when found, police are leaning toward suicide.

However, some point out that it is still too early to jump to conclusions about the cause of death.

In particular, attention is focused on the palm tree farm where the body was discovered.

This location is just 400 meters away from the accommodation where Jang was staying, a 10-minute walk, but it is an isolated area with no streetlights or CCTVs at all.

In an interview with media outlets, Jang's boyfriend raised questions, saying, "This is a place Jang always said was scary whenever she passed by," and adding, "I don't understand why she was found there."

Online communities have also seen claims that "even among local residents, the Canary Island palm trees on that farm are planted densely and have many sharp, hard parts on the trees, making approach itself difficult."

Jang's boyfriend also stated, "Until the day of her disappearance, there were no hardships that would lead her to take her own life."

Pyo Chang-won, head of the Pyo Crime Science Institute, also emphasized, "As the decomposition of the body has progressed considerably, we should not make a final judgment on whether it was homicide simply based on the appearance at the time of discovery."

It was reported that Jang's mobile phone was trackable for about 14 hours even after the initial missing person report, but police reportedly failed to even check the GPS location at the time.

Earlier, Acting Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency Yoo Jae-sung attended the National Assembly and stated, "It is presumed that Jang died by hanging," and "There are no traces to suspect homicide."

(Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Kim Hye-ju | Design by Lee Jung-joo | Produced by SBS Digital News)

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