The perpetrator who cruelly took a young life in a peach orchard was the victim's father.
On the 28th (Friday) at 9:50 p.m., 'Brave Detectives 4' (directed by Lee Ji-seon), aired by Taekwang Group's media subsidiary Tcast, featured former Senior Inspector Yoon Oechul and Inspector Kim Jinsu from the Scientific Investigation Unit (KCSI) as they uncovered the truth behind a arson-murder case that began in a peach orchard in Cheongdo.
A small body discovered due to a report from an elderly person who was out for a walk. The clothing worn had burned and stuck to the skin, and the body was fully charred, with the knees and calves bound, leaving it in a hunched position.
The cause of death was presumed to be asphyxiation due to strangulation. Someone is believed to have killed the child by choking them and then set fire in the Cheongdo peach orchard. The child was estimated to be between 140-150 cm tall, with feet measuring 200 mm, and all baby teeth missing, appearing to be either in the upper grades of elementary school or just admitted to middle school. Fingerprints could be collected, but identification was not possible due to being a minor.
The investigation team expanded the area of inquiry to Daegu, near Cheongdo. They created and distributed flyers using the clothing that was worn and a computer-generated reconstruction of the face, but no one who knew the child came forward.
Using the fact that the incident occurred during vacation, the investigation team requested to check more than a hundred elementary and middle schools in the Cheongdo and Daegu area for students who had not shown up for emergency assembly and could not be contacted.
After several hundred requests for investigative cooperation, the team singled out one child who seemed to require further investigation. This student was already absent for an extended period prior to the vacation and was confirmed to have been late on the date the body was found.
The fingerprints found on the school supplies used by the student matched those on the body. However, according to the National Forensic Service results, the DNA from the toothbrushes of the father, mother, and victim child did not match.
Amid the chaotic situation, the investigation team captured footage of a man riding a motorcycle in a tunnel CCTV heading from Daegu to Cheongdo, leading to the urgent arrest of the student's father.
The couple had adopted the victim when they were a newborn 14 years ago and had registered the birth, living as a family since then. The man denied all wrongdoing from the beginning, but after his wife's visit, he confessed everything to the detectives.
The man revealed, "My wife had been suffering from mental illness since before our marriage, but I tried to maintain a happy family from the start. Hoping for my wife's recovery, we adopted a child."
Regarding the motive for the crime, he mentioned, "The child played computer games all day" and "talked back," giving absurd reasons. Despite the brutal act, the perpetrator was recognized for their dedication to the family and was ultimately sentenced to 12 years.
[Photo] 'Brave Detectives 4'
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