The Daecheon Baby Kidnappings & Murders
This story was originally published in Korean at https://www.sns-justice.org/364
It’s been translated by me, Tiffani Warren. Please leave a comment if you see any errors or anything is unclear or confusing.
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Located in South Chungcheong Province is the city of Boryeong, which includes the Daecheon district. This area used to be called the town of Daecheon. In 1995, the town of Daecheon and the city of Boryeong were merged, creating the current name. In the early 1990s, a serial kidnapping and murder case involving infants and children occurred in the old town of Daecheon.
This town, which had been an old market village, was situated along the Daecheon-cheon Stream and the Janghang Rail Line. Shabby houses had collected around a coal mine to form a slum. With a stream running underneath the railroad tracks, it was a typical rural town…at least, in those days.
The residents of the town earned their living through general manual labor or small businesses. Since their housing was unstable and they often moved, people didn’t know their neighbors very well.
The homes were single-story, and the front entrances were not very secure, so break-ins would have been easy. There were no police precincts and public order was poorly maintained. There was a voluntary crime prevention group made up of the town’s young adults which patrolled the area, but it was beyond their capacity to prevent crime.
On August 16, 1991, in the early morning hours in the Daecheon district, 33-year-old (western: 31/32)* the two-month-old son of a man named Mr. Kim suddenly vanished.
*(Translator’s Note: In Korea, people are considered one year old when they’re born, and increase in age each January 1. So someone who is 33 years old in Korean age is either 31 or 32 in Western age, depending on their date of birth. I’ll include both ages for clarity. I will also list the given name first, followed by family name.)
The previous night, Mr. Kim and his wife had fallen asleep with their son placed between them. At about 5:45 AM, Mrs. Kim awoke to feed the baby. But the child who should have been beside her was nowhere to be seen. They searched every corner of the house, but there was no trace of the child.
Mr. Kim immediately notified the police. But the dispatch officer decided to scold him, asking, “What kind of pathetic parent could lose a child sleeping in the same room?”
The townspeople started to look everywhere for the child. Fortunately, on this day, some of the residents who were weeding in the area found the child in a pile of weeds on the banks of the Daecheon-cheon Stream and he barely survived.
The child was abandoned in the grass, having received a serious blow to the head as though the suspect had carelessly thrown him. His whole body was swollen with mosquito bites. The police treated the case as a simple missing person case and neither launched an investigation nor discovered the perpetrator.
In an interview with the press, Mr. Kim stated, “At the moment, in our four-unit residence, we were the only family with a baby. Our house was targeted by the prowler in advance. In addition, the suspect knew beforehand that one of the two gates was unlocked and which escape path to use.”
Mr. Kim believed that the suspect had made detailed plans and had cased the scene before committing the crime.
But the disturbing situation did not end there. Exactly six months later, Daecheon District was buzzing again. On February 16, 1992, at two in the morning, the 15-day-old child of a man who lived in the same town, named Mr. Ga, went missing. This time too, the child was abducted in the early morning hours while the parents were sleeping.
The police and the townspeople all mobilized and began to search for the child. At the same time, a bitter winter cold front swept the whole country. It was unbearable weather for a 15-day-old child. The child was found in just a few hours, but he lost his life two months later due to complications arising from pneumonia after having been exposed to the cold for so long.
The police saw the connection with the first crime and opened an investigation, but they were not able to identify a suspect. Even with this second case, everything might be written off as a coincidence. Without intention, the circumstances may have unfolded similarly simply by chance.
But when the same thing repeated for a third time, it became clear that this was no ‘coincidence’, but rather someone’s plan or intention. Four months after the second incident, at about one a.m. on June 4th, the four-month-old daughter of a Mr. Yu in the same town went missing. This time, too, she was abducted from beside her sleeping family.
The police search culminated with the discovery of the child, bruises covering her whole body. In addition, her head was severely injured from being dumped onto the concrete ground. Mr. Yu’s daughter was taken to the hospital and underwent three brain surgeries, but eventually died.
Who on earth would treat a child this way? Bit by bit, the town grew seized with terror. In this manner, another three months passed. The townspeople hoped that there would be no more of these monstrous acts, but the suspect’s thoughts differed.
On September 7th, Ms. Kang, a mother, came to the house of another town resident called Mr. Kim, 43 years old (western: 41/42), carrying her five-day-old daughter. Ms. Kang had come to receive postpartum care from her older sister, who was renting the house from Mr. Kim. The next day, in the early morning hours, the town was sent into a turmoil once again. Mrs. Kang’s daughter had vanished in the same manner.
At daybreak, the residents combed the town, but in the end they were unable to find the child. Although the suspect had abandoned the child in the vicinity of the town in the first three cases, this time was different. Ms. Kang, who had come to her older sister’s house to receive postpartum care, had lost her child in a day and was devastated, not knowing whether she was dead or alive. For quite a while she was in a state of madness, unable to bear the sorrow of losing her daughter. The child’s fate remains unclear to this day.
Children were continuing to disappear, but the police investigation saw no progress. The fourth straight case had occurred in the same town and the police’s confidential investigations had not solved a single one.
After the fourth case, a fairly long time passed. In the minds of the townspeople, the incidents were gradually forgotten like a bad dream. But just as people had started to become less vigilant about locking their doors, on August 16, 1994, five-year-old (western age: 3/4) Miss A, the daughter of a 42-year-old (western age: 40/41) Mr. Kim went missing. It was precisely the three-year anniversary of the first case.
Mr. Kim’s house was a month-to-month rental, arranged in a straight line from the kitchen to the main room and finally the back room. Mr. Kim, who was a miner, had contracted black lung disease (a disease where dust is inhaled and causes a lung defect) and was using a separate room. Mr. Kim’s family fell asleep this morning at about two.
And at about 5:30, they awoke to find Miss A, who had been sleeping, gone. In the three and a half hours since the family had fallen asleep, someone had kidnapped Miss A. The stroller that had been parked in front of the entrance had been moved aside, and this was the only evidence the suspect left behind.
After searching for his daughter, Mr. Kim filed a missing person report with the police. The child was found only twelve hours later at about six p.m. on the same day in Gungchon District, in the rice paddy behind the Taeseong Restaurant, by the owner of the rice paddy, 53-year-old (western age: 51/52) Mr. Jo. She was 400 meters away from her house.
The police examined the body after two days had passed, giving as a reason that “there had been no autopsy”.
The cause of death was strangulation. After the suspect had strangled Miss A to death, he had cut her abdomen with a sharp knife to extract a part of her liver. The police considered the suspect to be an expert, given that he had used a sharp knife, that it was difficult to remove a part of a specific organ at nighttime, and that the abdomen was incised only as much as necessary to extract the organ.
The police rushed to find the missing piece of the liver. Ten days after the incident, a piece of the severed liver was found floating in a farm waterway just two meters away from where the body had been found. Due to its bold, grotesque, and terrifying nature, Miss A’s case was covered by the press.
The police, who were no longer able to investigate quietly and privately, switched to a public investigation. A 34-year-old (western age 32/33) Mr. Lee was caught wandering around near the scene of the incident with a pair of women’s stockings and cotton gloves, but was released without any charges after questioning.
But there was something strange. Miss A’s clothes and other personal effects had disappeared without a trace. Police searched nearby for her belongings, but found nothing. Although they searched the location she went missing (her home) and the place where the body were found, they found no clothes, weapons, or blood stains.
What could this mean? It suggests that the suspect did not kill Miss A at the place where her body was found. Police also said, “It is highly likely that the body was moved near the house after being killed elsewhere.” As such, the perpetrator was meticulous enough to leave no evidence at the scene of the crime.
At first, the police speculated about a ‘patient with an incurable disease’ or a ‘sexual pervert’. In particular, the missing piece of Miss A’s liver gave weight to the idea of a patient with an incurable disease. In those days, there was even a false myth that “someone with an incurable disease can get better by eating a living person’s liver.”
The police obtained a list of 63 patients with incurable diseases from the local public health center and began to investigate and interrogate them.
An additional 100 people with specific diseases were investigated, but no particular suspects were identified. The police also considered the possibility that an expert was contracted to commit the crime by someone who had a grudge on Miss A’s family. However, this failed to produce a suspect.
When the investigation came to a standstill, the police put everyone in the town under suspicion and launched another investigation. Many people, including neighborhood thugs, people with a relationship to A’s parents, and neighbors, were called to the police station and had to give an alibi. Relationships became strained between her parents and their social circle.
Under these circumstances, all kinds of ugly rumors were circulating around the town. The saying spread that “On days when the evening drizzle falls, the ghost of the child snatcher roams”. Parents with children were engulfed with fear.
The townspeople could not open their doors or windows, even on hot and muggy nights. It was often difficult to sleep, checking on a sleeping child again and again. The residents started moving away one by one. Reportedly Miss A’s family also left for another area.
The police investigation went around in circles with no progress and eventually they ‘found themselves in a labyrinth’. In August 2009, the statute of limitations on the fifth case expired, leaving it permanently unsolved.
For three years, from 1991 to 1994, four children were kidnapped and one child was murdered. No one could prevent this ‘perfect crime’. The culprit might even be watching now for the perfect opportunity in our midst.
When the investigation came to a standstill, the police put everyone in the town under suspicion and launched another investigation. Many people, including neighborhood thugs, people with a relationship to A’s parents, and neighbors, were called to the police station and had to give an alibi. Relationships became strained between her parents and their social circle.
Under these circumstances, all kinds of ugly rumors were circulating around the town. The saying spread that “On days when the evening drizzle falls, the ghost of the child snatcher roams”. Parents with children were engulfed with fear.
The townspeople could not open their doors or windows, even on hot and muggy nights. It was often difficult to sleep, checking on a sleeping child again and again. The residents started moving away one by one. Reportedly Miss A’s family also left for another area.
The police investigation went around in circles with no progress and eventually they ‘found themselves in a labyrinth’. In August 2009, the statute of limitations on the fifth case expired, leaving it permanently unsolved.
For three years, from 1991 to 1994, four children were kidnapped and one child was murdered. No one could prevent this ‘perfect crime’. The culprit might even be in our midst now, watching for the perfect opportunity.
Clues Left by the Suspect
1. Focused on Infants and Toddlers
The first four victims were under four months of age: the first was two months old, the second was 15 days old, the third was four months old, and the fourth was five days old. We do not know where the suspect targeted infants who couldn’t even speak. On the other hand, the fifth victim, Miss A, was five years old (Western age: 3/4). Some consider this event to be separate from the first four.
However, if one considers the layout of the sleeping household at the time of the kidnapping and the position in which they were sleeping, it’s clear that the criminal had no choice but to aim for Miss A. At that time, the bedroom where Miss A was sleeping was very cramped. The order in which they were sleeping was Miss A, her younger brother (12 months old), and then her mother. It was too tight for the three of them to stretch out, so they were sleeping closely together. The family might have noticed if the suspect took the younger brother, who was sleeping next to his mother. Because of this, it appears that the perpetrator was unable to abduct her brother and instead chose Miss A, who was sleeping closest to the door of the room
2. The First, Third, and Fifth Crimes Occurred on the 16th of the Month
Among the five events, the first (August 16, 1991), second (February 16, 1992), and fifth (August 16, 1992) all happened on the 16th day of the month. Moreover, the second offense occurred exactly six months after the first, and the fifth offense occurred exactly three years later. In view of this, the culprit may have some association with the number 16.
3. ‘Early Morning’ Targeted
All five crimes occurred between midnight and five AM. This is the time when people are deepest asleep. It seems that the perpetrator was aiming for the early morning hours when there are few people the street and the crime is easiest.
4. Victims All Within 300 Meter Radius
All of the abduction locations are within a 300 meter radius in Daecheon-dong. The distance between the first case (Mr. Kim) and the second case (Mr. Ga) was 200 meters, between the second and the third (Mr. Yu) was 100 meters, and between the third and the fourth (Ms. Kang) was 100 meters. The house targeted in the fifth case (Miss A) was also within the 300 meter radius. If you mark all of the areas where the incidents occurred and draw a circle, the radius is less than 300 meters.
5. Victims Found Near Daecheon-cheon Stream
The child abducted in the first three cases were found near the Daecheon-cheon Stream. The outcome of the fourth case is unknown. Miss A, the fifth case, was found in a rice paddy near the stream. It is unknown why the criminal chose the Daecheon-cheon Stream as a place to abandon the children.
6. Crimes Committed on Rainy Days
On all days when the crimes took place, it had rained. Rather than a coincidence, it seems that the culprit was deliberately aiming for this kind of weather. On rainy days, people move around less, and because they use umbrellas or raincoats, their faces may not be exposed.
7. Infants Born in Daecheon City Hospitals
All but one of the victims was born at the K Obstetrics and Gynecology department in Daecheon City.
8. Crime Intensity Increased
Of the five incidents, only the first victim survived. The second died from prolonged exposure to the cold, the third died with bruises on the body, the fourth is still missing, and the fifth had an organ removed and was murdered. As the cases progressed, the brutality increased.
9. Unclear Motive
In all five cases, a ransom was never requested. Since Daecheon District is a slum area, the children were clearly not kidnapped for money. The reason the police were so puzzled was that the purpose and motive of the crimes were unclear.
10. Suspect Knows Town Very Well
The culprit in this case is terribly precise and bold. In particular, the ways in which he broke into the house and abducted the children indicate a great deal of confidence. This would be difficult if the perpetrator were not familiar with the town and its circumstances. Therefore, it is clear that the suspect had a sharp knowledge of the town in question. He knew the topography of the town, the structure of the victims’ families, and which houses had babies. In particular, in the case of the fourth victim, the baby was abducted from her mother less than a day after she arrived at her sister’s home. This tells us that the suspect either lives very close to the victims, or else it is possible that an accomplice among the villagers was communicating with an outside criminal.