Missing Jeju girl found dead, suspect held for rape-murder

Suspect captured by police. [NEWSIS]

A nine-year-old girl who was reported missing 40 days ago has been found dead just 70 meters from her home on Jeju Island, while a man with a long criminal record confessed to the murder, Seogwipo police said yesterday. The police arrested the suspect, 49, who lived in the same neighborhood as the victim, on charges of murder and rape.
Wrapped in black plastic, the body of Yang Ji-seung, a third grader at Seogwi Buk Elementary School, was found Tuesday evening in a pile of discarded electronic goods in an orange grove near the family’s apartment in Seogwipo city.
At the time of discovery, the girl’s body was largely decomposed and it was difficult to identify her face, but Yang’s parents were able to recognize the eyeglasses, shoes and pants she was wearing on March 16, the day she disappeared.
The police asked the National Institute of Scientific Investigation to conduct a DNA analysis to confirm the identity of the victim.
The police announced yesterday that the prime suspect confessed to luring, raping and killing the child. The man, identified by police only by the surname Song, worked in the orange grove where her body was found.
Song has a long criminal history, including 23 convictions, mostly for fraud. In 1992, however, he was convicted of the attempted kidnap of a three-year-old boy. It was his only previous kidnap conviction, the police said. He was released from prison in 2004 and moved to Jeju.
“We initially focused our investigation on sex offenders, but also questioned Song because he was a convict living alone,” Song Yang-hwa, head of the Seogwipo Police, said in a briefing. “While searching his home and the orange grove, we found her body. We picked him up from a construction site for questioning and he confessed to the crime. He is currently under police custody.”
According to the police, Song ran into Yang on his way home on the afternoon of March 16 as she returned from a piano lesson. He was intoxicated and lured Yang to his home with the intention of committing sexual assault, police said, citing Song’s confession.
“After raping her, he asked her if she knew where she was, and Yang said ‘yes,’” the Seogwipo police chief said. “He was afraid to get caught and strangled her. He dumped the body around 5 a.m. the next day.”
The police said they also found hair and hair accessories, believed to belong to Yang, under Song’s bed.
An autopsy was performed yesterday by Kang Hyeon-uk, a forensic science professor at Cheju National University. He confirmed that the victim was strangled. Kang said there was no sign of struggle but a wound was found on her head; there was no clear sign of sexual violation.
“I always had faith that my daughter was alive, and this cannot be happening,” Yang’s father cried after his missing daughter’s body was found. Afterwards, the family was in shock and refused further comment.

By Ser Myo-ja Staff Writer [myoja@joongang.co.kr]