Police seek repatriation of Filipino suspect in 'water tank bones' killing

By Park Si-soo

South Korean police have identified the prime suspect in the “water tank bones” homicide case and are seeking help of Philippine police to repatriate him. They are also seeking Interpol's cooperation to speed up the process.

The prime suspect is a Filipino man who turned 36, according to investigators. They didn't give further details. Police believe he killed the victim ― another Filipino man ― after his dating offer was rejected, and then fled to his hometown.

The victim, whose identity is unknown, entered Korea in 2014 and worked at a plant in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. He “vanished” in January 2016.

The suspect left the country in May 2016 after telling friends here that he quit a factory in Hwaseong to move to another factory. The victim's bones were found wrapped up in a jacket inside a Hwaseong-based factory's water purifying tank on April 3.

Police said the skeleton's left side was crushed, indicating something had hit the victim. Investigators believe this happened when the man was alive.

Police also believe the victim was killed elsewhere and the body dumped in the tank.