Professor Lee Su-jeong of Kyonggi University's department of criminal psychology raised questions about police presuming the cause of death of Jang Mi-ran, who went missing long-term in Jeju and was later found dead, as "death by hanging."
On the 25th, Professor Lee shared an article on her Facebook saying that acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-seong said regarding Jang's cause of death, "I received a report from the Jeju police chief that it is presumed to be death by hanging."
On the post, Professor Lee wrote, "A young woman goes out late at night and death by hanging on a palm tree? That's laughable," adding, "The question is whether there are signs of homicide. Do not hastily claim there is no possibility of a crime."
Not only Professor Lee but also people on the ground questioned the police presumption of death by hanging. A local resident, identified as A, posted that Canary date palms do not have branches extending sideways like ordinary trees, making it difficult to hang a rope. A said, "Even tying a rope to the tree is not easy for a man to do alone," expressing doubt about whether Jang could have set up the rope by herself.
Jang's body was found at about 10:46 a.m. on the 24th in a palm tree grove in Hallim-eup, Jeju City. Police said that an autopsy confirmed the body was Jang's.
The body was in an advanced state of decomposition, with fingerprints lost, and police are conducting expedited testing after collecting DNA. Based on factors including that no unusual fractures were found in the autopsy, police so far consider the possibility of homicide to be low.