Profiler Bae Sanghoon on Jang Miran’s Death: “Probability of Homicide Is 51.1%”

"Rarely Does Someone Commit Suicide in an Unfamiliar Place"

"'Publicly Stating 'Death by Hanging' Was Careless"

Jang Miran, a 37-year-old woman who went missing in May, was found dead at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, 104 days after her disappearance. In this context, profiler Bae Sang-hoon asserted that "the probability of homicide is 51.1%".

Bae Sanghoon: "Lost evidence likely to make reconstruction difficult"

On the 26th, a privacy screen was installed at a palm tree farm in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, where the body of long-term missing Jang Miran was found. Photo by Yonhap News

On August 26th, appearing on YTN Radio's "Jang Sungchul's News Square," Profiler Bae emphasized that it is crucial to verify why Jang had entered the palm tree farm and her movements immediately prior to her death in order to determine the cause.

He stated, "One of the main points of doubt is whether Jang had any experience with the area of the palm tree grove," and continued, "It is rare for someone to enter a completely unfamiliar place and commit suicide. After all, if a person doesn't know what that place is, it doesn't make sense to just go in." He added, "This issue must be resolved, and in order to do so, it is necessary to piece together her movements right before the incident."

Bae also criticized the police for presuming the cause of death as "death by hanging," saying, "I believe it was careless for the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency to state publicly in the National Assembly that it was death by hanging." He continued, "They should have only mentioned it as 'an unidentified death (by external cause),' but by making a comment that implies suicide, it creates a preconception."

He further said, "Other than the fact that she died from asphyxiation, nothing else has been confirmed yet. It could be a homicide, it could be a suicide, or there could be a third cause of death." He added, "The problem is that evidence that should have remained on the body has been lost, which will clearly make reconstruction difficult. In fact, there is a clear possibility that the cause will remain inconclusive."

Regarding Officer A, who is under suspicion for falsely closing the case, he commented, "A police officer who causes such problems should have been dismissed or discharged from the start, but it seems someone turned a blind eye to this appalling misconduct by this person." He added, "Proper accountability must be demanded from the head of the missing persons team and the head of the criminal department."

"No suicide note found for Jang Miran... No records of depression treatment, either"

The National Police Agency announced on the 25th that it has placed four commanding officers, including the Chief of Jeju Western Police Station, on standby in relation to the false closure of the long-term missing person case in Jeju. The photo shows the Jeju Western Police Station on that day. Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, the police announced that at 10:46 AM on August 24th, they found a body in a palm tree grove in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. An autopsy confirmed the body as that of Jang. Based on the posture and location in which she was found, police presume that she died by hanging.

No signs of resistance or struggle were found at the scene. It was also reported that Jang was wearing the clothes and slippers she had worn when she went missing, as well as her gold bracelet and ring. However, no suicide note was found at the site, and there were no records or prescriptions indicating that she had received treatment for depression.

The police are currently investigating all possibilities and plan to focus on digital forensics of the phone found at the scene to determine the deceased’s final movements.

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