A child who went missing in the third grade of elementary school has returned to their family after 36 years, thanks to the persistent investigation by the police.
World Missing Children Day
On the 25th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Unit announced that they had located Mr. A (45), who went missing in 1989, through inquiries at 25 care facilities and the collection and analysis of DNA from 309 individuals.
Mr. A was placed in the care of an aunt living in Gangdong-gu, Seoul in September 1988, following the death of his father and the deterioration of his mother's health. He went missing the following year. Although the aunt filed a missing person report, Mr. A was not found, and his mother, having lost contact, was unaware of the disappearance.
After making inquiries, the aunt was able to contact the mother, and in July 2022, the two filed a renewed missing person report at Gangseo Police Station in Seoul. In February of last year, the Criminal Investigation Unit, which is dedicated to long-term missing person cases, took over the case and launched a full-scale reinvestigation.
The police regularly checked Mr. A's elementary school records, health insurance, mobile carrier subscriptions, and eligibility for government support. They also checked 52 care facilities in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, collecting and analyzing DNA from 309 unidentified residents. In addition, considering the possibility that Mr. A may have been adopted, they checked with adoption agencies such as Holt Children's Services to determine whether he had been adopted.
During this process, the police narrowed down the candidates to 39 individuals and identified Mr. A as the most likely match through care facility admission records. After showing the aunt a photo taken when Mr. A was admitted to a juvenile care facility, she confirmed his identity. Although Mr. A's resident registration number had changed due to the creation of a new surname and family name, a genetic analysis by the National Forensic Service confirmed that he was the missing person, and the police arranged a reunion with his family last month.
A police official stated, "Since a disappearance can happen to anyone, we urge guardians to actively use prevention systems such as pre-registration of children's fingerprints and dementia safety registration." The official added, "The police will utilize all available means, including CCTV analysis, DNA analysis, and facility inquiries, to pursue every missing person to the end."
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