[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Jin-hyung] Around 3:20 PM on the 28th, an object presumed to be a vehicle part belonging to the family of a missing elementary school student from Gwangju was found in the sea off Songgok Port, Wando, Jeonnam.
The object is believed to be a part of the grille (radiator cover) of a 2018 Audi A6, which was leased by the family of 10-year-old Jo Yuna, and was recovered underwater by forensic science investigators.
The police are considering it highly likely to be a vehicle part of the missing family based on footage captured by a closed-circuit television (CCTV) at the nearby Songgok Village bus stop.
The footage shows the vehicle of Jo's family passing by around 11:06 PM on the 30th of last month.
This is the first meaningful clue obtained during the week-long police search.
The location also matches the final base station signal of the father Jo’s mobile phone.
Jo’s phone was turned off at 4:16 AM on the 31st of last month, and the base station signal was around Songgok Port.
The police plan to focus their search in this area and discuss salvage methods if the family’s vehicle is found.
Drones, patrol boats, and six scent-tracking dogs have been deployed at the site.
About 300 personnel, including 170 from the Gwangju-Jeonnam Police Agency riot squad and underwater forensic investigators conducting underwater searches, are continuing extensive searches around Sinji-myeon and other areas.
The Jo family had applied to their school for an outdoor experiential learning trip to Jeju Island from the 19th of last month to the 15th of this month, citing a family trip as the purpose.
However, they stayed at a pension in Sinji-myeon, Wando, Jeonnam from the 24th to the 30th of last month, not at the intended destination, and all family members’ phones were turned off early on the 31st, cutting off contact.
The school reported the case to the police on the 22nd after Jo did not attend school even after the experiential learning period ended on the 16th, but there has been no news since.
It has been 29 days since the last mobile phone signal, and a week since the police search began, but their whereabouts remain unknown.
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