Police have confirmed that the body found on Aug. 24 in Hallim-eup, Jeju City, is that of Jang Mi-ran, 37, who had been missing for three months.
The Jeju Provincial Police Agency said on the 25th that it received an oral finding from the autopsy that the teeth matched Jang. Police also said a mobile phone Jang had with her when she went out was found with the body, and she was wearing a bracelet and a ring.
The fingerprints on the body had been lost, so DNA (genetic material) was collected and analysis is underway. No circumstances suggesting a crime, such as unusual fractures, were reported to have been found. Police are working to determine the exact cause of death through mobile phone forensics and other methods.
Jang's body was found around 10:46 a.m. the previous day in a palm grove in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. It was 104 days after she went missing.
The first missing-person report for Jang was filed on May 15, but it was was found that Senior Patrol Officer Bu, 34, of the Jeju West Police Station, who handled the case, closed it about two hours and 30 minutes later on the grounds that contact had been made with Jang.
Only after Jang's family filed another missing-person report last month and began searching on their own through social media (SNS) did the police search gain momentum.
Senior Patrol Officer Bu underwent a pretrial detention review (warrant hearing) on charges including dereliction of duty that day. Whether a detention warrant will be issued is expected to be decided that afternoon.