The body of a woman in her 60s, identified as A, who was found inside a large cafe freezer in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, was reportedly discovered near the entrance of the storage unit, frozen solid and without any external injuries.
According to reports, the 30s cafe owner B, who is suspected of murdering A, entered the freezer together with A on the morning of the 3rd, came out alone, and then went in and out of the storage unit multiple times over the course of about 27 hours.
At the time, the freezer's target temperature was set to -25°C (-13°F), while the actual internal temperature was known to be around -18°C (0°F).
Because of this, it is suspected that B went in and out of the storage unit several times to check on A's condition.
When police arrived following a missing person report, tracked down A's location, and opened the freezer door, A was found frozen near the entrance with no noticeable external trauma.
Counterfeit department store gift certificates with a face value totaling 50 billion won were also discovered inside the freezer.
Police investigations revealed that A had visited the cafe after being asked to act as an intermediary—authenticating the gift certificates and facilitating the transaction—for a deal in which a third party was to purchase the gift certificates held by B.
Police are investigating the possibility that B locked A in the storage unit after A realized the gift certificates were counterfeit.
B is reportedly maintaining the stance that while some facts regarding the crime are admitted, there was no intention to commit murder.
Police have requested an autopsy from the National Forensic Service to determine the exact cause of A's death and are looking into B's motive and whether any accomplices were involved.
Reported by Park Se-won | Video edited by Jang Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
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