Missing for 3 Months After First Investigation at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office in December Last Year
Suspect Lee Eun-hae (left in photo) and accomplice Jo Hyun-soo in the 'Gapyeong Yongsogyeok Murder Case' [Photo by Incheon District Prosecutors' Office]
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A woman in her 30s and her accomplice, who were under investigation for killing her husband in a valley for insurance money (known as the 'Gapyeong Yongso Valley Murder Case'), have fled, prompting the prosecution to issue a public warrant for their arrest.
This case was brought to public attention in October 2020 through SBS's program "Unanswered Questions" under the title "The Last Dive of That Day - The Mystery of the Gapyeong Valley Drowning Incident."
The Criminal Division 2 of Incheon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Changsoo) announced on the 30th that they have obtained arrest warrants for Lee Eunhae (31, female) and her accomplice Jo Hyunsoo (30) on charges of murder and attempted murder, and have placed them on the wanted list.
They are accused of killing Lee's husband, A (39 years old at the time of death), in Yongso Valley, Gapyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, in June 2019.
The prosecution believes that Lee and others forced A, who could not swim at all, to dive into the valley without any equipment and ignored his calls for help, resulting in his death.
During the investigation, the prosecution uncovered additional crimes committed by them.
In February 2019, Lee and others attempted to kill A by feeding him food mixed with pufferfish poison at a pension in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, but the toxicity was below a lethal dose, resulting in an attempted murder.
Three months earlier, they tried to drown A at a fishing spot in Yongin City, Gyeonggi Province, but were caught by an acquaintance who woke up.
Lee, known to be in a romantic relationship with Jo, is believed by the prosecution to have killed her husband for the 800 million KRW life insurance money taken out in her husband's name.
In fact, five months after her husband's death, Lee filed a claim for the life insurance money with the insurance company but was denied. The insurance company reportedly refused payment suspecting fraudulent activity.
The prosecution estimates that they killed A just four hours before the insurance contract, which was signed in August 2017, was set to expire.
Meanwhile, after A's death, the Gapyeong Police Station initially closed the case as an unattended death, but in October 2019, a relative of the bereaved family reported the case to the Ilsan Western Police Station in Gyeonggi Province, leading to a reinvestigation.
Lee and Jo were sent to the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Goyang Branch without detention in December 2020 on charges of murder and attempted violation of the Special Act on Insurance Fraud Prevention.
Subsequently, the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office Goyang Branch transferred the case to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, which has jurisdiction over the suspects' residence, and the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office summoned them for questioning on December 13 of last year.
However, they fled the day before their second interrogation and have been missing for three months.
A prosecution official stated, "We have been conducting tracking investigations to locate the suspects since their escape, but have not yet apprehended them," and urged, "We ask citizens to take an interest and actively provide tips."
Tip-off calls can be made to the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office Chief Prosecutor's Office (032-860-4465~68, 010-2576-5344) or the duty office (032-860-4290).
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