Cell Phone Was On When Missing Report Was Filed... Unlocking Call Records

Regarding the long-term missing person case of a woman in her 30s, it has become increasingly likely that a Jeju police officer closed the case on their own from the beginning without verifying the safety of the missing woman.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency on August 20, a review of communication records for the missing Jang Mi-ran (37) showed no record of a phone call between Police Officer A, who received the initial missing person report last May, and Jang.

In addition, an internal investigation by the police station where the officer worked found no call records between Police Officer A and Jang.

Jang's mobile phone remained turned on after she left home at 1:30 AM on May 13 until May 15, when the missing person report was filed two days later, but it was turned off around May 17.

Despite this, Police Officer A claims to have "reported that contact was made with the person subject to the report and closed the case."

Police Officer A also stated to the police that "Jang herself said not to let her boyfriend know her whereabouts."

The police have booked Police Officer A on charges of dereliction of duty and are investigating the truthfulness of whether a call took place.

The police are also looking into the procedure through which Police Officer A closed the case last May.

This is because the current missing person case handling system lacks a dual-confirmation process from superiors, allowing Police Officer A to make a unilateral judgment and close the case.

Although adult female missing cases carry a high risk of crime victimhood, investigations showed that Police Officer A did not verify safety through face-to-face contact nor enter relevant information into the missing person profiling system that checks risk levels.

Jang's family claimed that such perfunctory actions by the police, including Police Officer A, prolonged Jang's disappearance.

Expressing their fury, Jang's family said, "After hearing the police explanation last May, we felt reassured and relieved, thinking Jang was safe and just needed some time alone to sort out her thoughts, but 30 days later she is still missing." — wait, let me re-translate strictly: "3 months have passed since then and she remains missing." (Correction: "3 months have passed and she is still missing as of now.")

Particularly on July 17, Jang's boyfriend, finding it suspicious that she remained out of contact, reported her missing to the police again, but the report was not accepted.

Jang's family stated, "Jang's boyfriend's report was not accepted because of the previous record from the initial report last May stating that 'Jang said not to let her boyfriend know her whereabouts.'"

Subsequently, Jang's cousin re-reported Jang missing in Seoul on July 19, prompting a belated resumption of the investigation.

However, more than two months had passed, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings and other footage that could trace Jang's movements had all been deleted.

It is reported that there has been no confirmed trace of daily activity so far, such as use of Jang's credit cards, mobile phone records, or hospital visits.

Starting today through August 26, the police, alongside the Korea Coast Guard and others, plan to deploy an average of about 140 personnel per day to conduct an intensive search around Hanlim Port in Jeju, where Jang's mobile phone location tracking results pointed.

They also plan to conduct a multi-dimensional search deploying helicopters, drones, scent-tracking search dogs, divers, patrol boats, and coastal rescue boats.

During the intensive search period, the police plan to meticulously examine the coastal areas, nearby waters, farm paths, and presumed routes of the missing person in Hanlim-eup, as well as check pensions, abandoned houses, and shelters across the province.

At the time of her disappearance, Jang had long straight hair, an estimated height of 158 cm, a slim build, wore a gold bracelet, and was characterized by a cute tone of speech.

(Photo provided by Jang Mi-ran's family, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.