Jeju officer admits falsely closing missing woman’s case

A police officer has partially admitted to allegations that he prematurely closed the missing persons case of a woman on the southern resort island of Jeju without confirming her safety, police said Friday.

While undergoing questioning, the officer admitted to having falsely told the woman's boyfriend — who reported her missing — that she had been contacted and confirmed safe, according to officials at the Jeju Provincial Police Agency.

He reportedly admitted after investigators confronted him with an autopsy report that showed the victim may have died at least two days before she was first reported missing on May 15.

The body of the victim was found Monday at a palm tree farm near her residence on the island. The officer was placed under formal arrest the following day.

The Jeju police earlier said they were examining the officer's shift report from the evening he received the initial missing report, suspecting he may have intentionally omitted key information from it.

Normally, missing persons cases — especially those involving women — are reported to higher-ups, often all the way to the Jeju police chief, because of the possibility that the missing persons are being subjected to crimes, according to the police.

The officer in question, however, is said to have made no such report to his superiors of the missing woman's case.

He is also suspected of having deleted her data from the profile list of missing people, while inserting false information that she had died in a car accident.

Yonhap