KOR
The SBS program "Unanswered Questions" (hereafter "It's Know") broadcasted on the 8th tracked the case of a 60-year-old woman murdered in Tongyeong.
In the early hours of June 10, a horrific murder took place in a rural village in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.
A woman in her 60s surnamed Seo, who owned a detached house, was found murdered inside her home. The victim, who died from stab wounds to the neck, was unable to put up much resistance, evoking deep regret.
However, about two months have passed since the incident, and with no suspect yet apprehended, not only the village residents but the local community have been suffering from anxiety.
Amid this situation, police offered a 100 million won reward for crucial tips, yet there have been no leads specific enough to identify a suspect.
Leaving no DNA or fingerprints anywhere at the scene, the only clue regarding the culprit was captured on a single CCTV camera pointing toward a rose tunnel outside the house.
However, the suspect wore a hat and a mask, making it impossible to properly identify his face.
Entering at 12:22 AM and fleeing some 1 hour and 50 minutes later, the suspect calmly vanished, taking away the murder weapon, the victim's handbag, and a life safety terminal.
The suspect then vanished without being captured by any other CCTV cameras in the village.
Police presumed that the culprit was well-acquainted not only with the village geography and CCTV locations but also with the victim, leading them to investigate the victim's past grudges, but no grounds to pinpoint a suspect emerged.
Subsequently, various rumors circulated, including contract killing and robbery-homicide, alongside rampant speculations that the culprit was a foreigner or someone from the neighborhood. Yet, amidst the numerous rumors and tips, the truth grew increasingly distant.
Two days prior to the incident, the victim's husband, who had suffered from sleep deprivation following sinus surgery and subsequent hospitalization, returned home and fell into a deep sleep, failing to notice the intruder's presence. In particular, the detached annex where the husband was sleeping was completely separated from the crime scene.
Regarding the fact that the culprit turned on the hallway light for just two minutes while lingering at the scene, police speculated that the perpetrator was someone intimately familiar with the victim's home. Consequently, one informant suspected an electrician whom the victim had hired in the past.
The victim had been personally involved in building the detached house by hiring technicians, during which friction reportedly arose with this electrician. Although police investigated him, he was ruled out of the suspect list because he was in his late 50s and habitually wore glasses.
Police also stated that they investigated all foreigners in the vicinity, but no clues regarding the culprit were found anywhere.
The broadcast analyzed the CCTV footage alongside video analysis experts, concluding that the suspect is estimated to be in his mid-170s in height and wearing shoes with a distinctive pattern.
Furthermore, a footwear expert helped identify the model of the shoes worn by the culprit. The product turned out to be one that is no longer sold and was previously popular among people in their 30s and 40s. Additionally, clues were found through his gait suggesting that only his right foot may be flat.
Meanwhile, the victim was found with her husband's belt wrapped around her hand at the time of her death. While some speculated based on this that the target might have been the victim's husband, efforts to find anyone holding a grudge against the husband also failed.
An expert analyzed the fact that the suspect took the murder weapon away, stating, "He appears to be someone with a definite criminal record in robbery and theft." The expert also estimated that the hallway light was turned on by the victim rather than the culprit, at which point she fell victim to the attack.
The expert warned, "If it had been a matter of personal grudges or something similar, suspects would have been filtered out long ago," adding, "If you view it as a robbery-homicide by someone with geographic familiarity and local ties, you must focus the investigation there. If the investigative direction drifts, it is a waste of time, and the possibility of a resolution grows increasingly slim."
The broadcast released a montage of the suspect enhanced by AI alongside an expert. The culprit is estimated to be a male in his 20s to 30s, or at most early 40s, with a slender face and arched eyebrows. In particular, he is estimated to have prominent cheekbones, strong nose and mouth lines, and a wide gap between the heads of his eyebrows.
Additionally, he is presumed to be an individual with a prior record of robbery and theft, who did not know the victim personally or only crossed paths briefly, and who had lived in the area for a considerable period while residing or working where he could hear news about the victim through gossip.
It was also analyzed that the belt wrapped around the victim's hand was an attempt by the culprit to bind her. Furthermore, the possibility was raised that the perpetrator was someone who did not know the exact location of the CCTV cameras at the victim's house, but only knew them partially.
Finally, the broadcast drew attention by pointing out, "The more we try to adapt and embellish the motive of the crime to fit the remaining results at the scene, the higher the likelihood that the case will end up unsolved," and adding, "Inflating the culprit like a hitman seen in movies might just be an excuse by someone who let him slip away."
(Reported by Kim Hyo-jung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
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