Body Believed to Be Jang Mi-ran Found 3 Months After False Case Closure

[Anchor]

Jang Mi-ran, who went missing in Jeju last May, has failed to return alive. A body presumed to be Jang was found this morning (the 24th). The discovery site was just a 5-minute walk from the accommodation where Jang had been staying. Although it was not far away, it took more than 100 days to find Jang because the assigned police officer falsely closed the case.

Our first report comes from Jeong Yong-gi of JIBS.

[Reporter]

A large number of police officers have been dispatched to a farm lush with palm trees.

Forensic teams are busy moving around the scene.

The body, presumed to be Jang Mi-ran, who had been missing for over three months, was found at around 10:45 AM today.

Police confirmed circumstances pointing to the "false closure" of Jang's disappearance case last month and have been conducting an intensive search since the 20th.

This palm tree farm where the body presumed to be the missing person was found is located about 400 meters in a straight line from the accommodation where she was staying.

Police have launched a forensic investigation to determine the exact details.

At the scene, a mobile phone of the same model used by Jang was found, and her clothing was also found to be identical to what she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.

The farm area is known to be a place where Jang frequently walked her pet dog.

Police believe the possibility of criminal harm is low and are investigating her exact identity and the time of death.

[Kim Eun-sung / Head of Criminal Investigation Division, Jeju Seobu Police Station: It was confirmed that the hoodie, slippers, and pants match those worn in the footage when she left her residence. We found her while conducting a large-scale search moving toward the mountainous area.]

This is not the only problematic missing persons case.

A man in his 60s, whose case was also falsely closed on the very day of his missing persons report on the 2nd of last month, was found dead in Gujwa-eup, Jeju, some 50 days after going missing.

In both cases, the missing persons cases were closed just hours after the initial reports, leaving a significant gap until re-reporting took place.

This is why criticism is mounting that the police themselves missed the golden opportunity in their initial response to find the missing persons.

(Video by Kang Myung-chul / JIBS)

Jeong Yong-gi, JIBS
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.