Nationwide search for missing boy underway
A photo of a missing boy released by the police, Friday / Courtesy of Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency
By Kim Se-jeong
Police in Daegu have started a search for an 11-year-old boy who went missing after leaving his apartment with his mother on Sept. 15.
The mother, 56, surnamed Cho, was found dead in the Nakdong River earlier this week, as was his 26-year-old sister, whose body was found at their apartment.
On Friday, the police released three photos of the boy nationwide, Ryu Jeong-min, caught by surveillance cameras.
Taken at three different locations, the photos captured the 11-year-old leaving the apartment building, leaving an elevator and picking up groceries at a supermarket. He was last seen at his apartment lobby as he was leaving with his mother.
Police said the boy is estimated to be 140 centimeters tall and wearing a white T-shirt with blue sleeves, dark pants and a cap.
Finding him is crucial to unraveling the mysterious deaths of his sister and mother, but the police said they don’t rule out that the boy might have killed himself.
That is because of a memo found in his home in what appeared to be a death note. “When I die, please share my cross-stitch and origami book with others who are poor,” according to the memo. The police are working to identify the memo’s author.
The investigation started Tuesday when the police found the body of the mother in the Nakdong River in Goryeong, North Gyeongsang Province.
During the search of her Daegu apartment on Thursday, the police found the body of her 26-year-old daughter left in a lot at the outdoor terrace. The body was wrapped in a blanket and plastic, according to the police.
The police said the mother divorced her husband eight years ago and was raising two children alone.
Police are continuing their search, at the riverside where the mother’s body was found, and around the apartment’s neighborhood. They are also interviewing neighbors and the boy’s friends to piece together the tragic story.
The police welcome any information about the case. Anyone knowing the whereabouts of the boy should call 112 or (053) 600-6288.