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 highly likely that a Jeju police officer closed the case on their own from the beginning without verifying the missing woman's safety.

According to the Jeju Provincial Police Agency today (August 20), a check of the communication records of the missing Jang Mi-ran (37) showed no record of calls 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 maintains, "I reported to the police that I had made contact with the subject of the report and processed the case as closed."

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

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

The police are also reviewing the procedures through which Police Officer A closed the case last May.

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

While adult women face a high risk of crime victim potential, investigations showed that Police Officer A did not verify safety through face-to-face contact or enter related information into the missing persons profiling system to check risk levels.

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

Expressing their frustration, Jang's family said, "Hearing the police's explanation last May, we felt relieved, thinking Jang was safe and needed time alone to gather her thoughts for personal reasons, but she remains missing three months later."

In particular, 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, "Because of the existing record from the initial report last May stating that 'Jang asked not to disclose her location to her boyfriend,' the boyfriend's new report was not accepted."

Subsequently, Jang's cousin filed a missing person report for Jang again in Seoul on July 19, belatedly prompting the 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.

To date, there are reportedly no confirmed signs of life, such as card usage, mobile phone records, or hospital history for Jang.

Starting today through August 26, the police, alongside the Coast Guard and others, plan to mobilize 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 originated.

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

During the intensive search period, the police intend to closely examine the coastal areas, nearby seas, and farm paths of Hanlim-eup, as well as estimated routes taken by the missing person, while also checking pensions, abandoned houses, and shelters within the province.

At the time of her disappearance, Jang had long straight hair, an estimated height of 158 cm, a slim build, and was wearing a gold bracelet. She is characterized by a charming and affectionate way of speaking.

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