Identity of 'Mutilated Body' in Incheon Remains Unknown; Speculation Runs Wild

As the investigation into the body parts discovered at a public recycling facility in Incheon enters its sixth day, various unverified speculations are spreading across online platforms.

According to social media posts on Monday (June 15), one netizen posted on the 13th, "I saw a comment on a news article that claimed a child named [Name] was murdered, and that a woman working at a large supermarket chain had severed the child's legs."

The user added, "I brushed it off at the time, but later, no matter how hard I searched for the article, I couldn't find it, so I gave up."

Another netizen captured a screenshot of the comment, which contained specific details such as, "They say it was a boy who looked as pretty as a girl, named [Name]. He was allegedly murdered in a villa, placed in a boxing bag, and transported, and a woman working at an E-Mart branch allegedly cut off his legs."

However, these claims have not been verified in terms of factual accuracy.

Currently, the National Forensic Service (NFS) is conducting a detailed analysis to determine specific information, including the gender and age of the victim.

With the victim's identity still unconfirmed, the police are conducting their investigation while keeping all possibilities open, including the theory that the victim could be a woman or a young student, based on the physical measurements of the body part.

Accordingly, authorities are also investigating whether there are any students with unexcused or long-term absences across all elementary, middle, high schools, and special education schools in Incheon.

A police official stated, "We are aware that speculations regarding the case are circulating online," adding, "We are currently determining whether to verify the facts of those claims."

Online, some are also suggesting that medical waste from a hospital may have been improperly disposed of and mixed in with the recyclables.

This speculation appears to stem from the fact that the discovered leg was severed and wrapped in bandages.

Under the current Wastes Control Act, medical waste, including human tissue, must be stored in dedicated containers and collected and transported separately from other waste.

Regarding these speculative posts, a police official said, "We are currently investigating while keeping all possibilities open."

The police plan to narrow down the scope of the victim and focus on identifying them as soon as the detailed results from the National Forensic Service are available. In the meantime, they intend to analyze the routes of 34 recycling transport vehicles that operated on the day the body part was discovered to pinpoint the location where it was discarded.

Previously, on June 10 at 2:28 p.m., a portion of a human left leg wrapped in bandages was discovered during recycling sorting operations at the Southern Regional Living Resource Recovery Center in Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon.

The physical measurements released by the police are a foot size of 210 mm and a length of 41 cm from just below the knee to the heel.

(Photo: Screenshot of Threads, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.