Tongyeong Home Murder Remains Unsolved for Over a Month... Police Release Suspect Footage

A Sturdy Man in His 30s or 40s Suspected
CCTV Footage Before and After the Crime Released With Victim’s Family’s Consent
Face Covered With Cap, Mask, and Gloves
Despite Dedicated Investigation Team, Suspect Remains Unidentified

While more than a month has passed since a suspect killed a woman in her 60s and fled with valuables from a single-family home in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the police have, for the first time, released CCTV footage showing the suspect before and after the crime. On July 28, the Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency released the CCTV footage with the consent of the victim’s family, showing the unidentified suspect, referred to as Mr. A, and requested active cooperation from the public in reporting information.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency released for the first time the video of suspect A, believed to be a well-built man in his 30s to 40s, captured on CCTV with the consent of the victim's family on the 27th. The photos show suspect A before and after the crime. Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency

The incident took place in the early morning of June 10 at a detached house in Wonsan-ri, Dosan-myeon, Tongyeong City. Investigations found that Ms. B, a woman in her 60s who was asleep in the master bedroom, was stabbed to death by an intruder wielding a weapon. Her husband, who was sleeping in a separate building detached from the main house, escaped harm. That morning, at around 6:34 a.m., her husband and family discovered her collapsed in the bedroom and reported it to authorities. Based on security cameras and other evidence, police believe the suspect broke into the house around 2 a.m. and committed the crime sometime between midnight and 3 a.m.

The footage released by the police shows Mr. A, who is estimated to be a man in his 30s or 40s with a sturdy physique. Mr. A was wearing a baseball cap pulled down low and had most of his face—except for his eyes—covered with a mask; he also wore gloves on both hands. Before the crime, Mr. A entered the victim’s house stealthily with nothing in his hands. Leaving the crime scene, however, he was seen holding both a weapon and the victim’s bag in his left hand, and an emergency reporting device from inside the house in his right hand.

Based on evidence suggesting that Mr. A fled with a handbag and other property after killing the victim, police are investigating the case as a robbery-homicide rather than a simple murder. They have not ruled out the possibility that Mr. A prepared for the crime in advance to hide his identity and traces, considering that he brought a hat, mask, and gloves with him.

The police have formed a dedicated investigation team and have conducted inquiries into people around the victim, analyzed nearby CCTV footage, and carried out telecommunications and forensic investigations. However, due to the crime occurring late at night in a rural area with few security cameras—and the suspect thoroughly concealing his face—the police have been unable to identify him even after a month. In the early stages of the investigation, it was reported that, aside from CCTV installed at the victim’s residence, police could not secure clear footage of the suspect. On July 13, the police announced a reward of up to 100 million KRW for decisive information leading to the identification or whereabouts of the suspect.

Meanwhile, following the incident, manipulated images claimed to be the suspect’s face, made by altering the actual CCTV footage using artificial intelligence, have been circulated online. The police confirmed that these images do not depict the actual suspect. Caution is advised, because identifying someone as the criminal or speculating about nationality based solely on unverified images can disrupt the investigation and result in harm to innocent individuals.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.