“Just a moment.” His brow wrinkled in concentration as he turned to his computer and began typing with his index fingers,pecking away slowly at the keyboard. Dahye stared out the window as she waited. She remembered the way Eunhye’s blue, waterlogged face had loomed out at her the previous night. Like a full moon.
The moon controls the tide, Dahye thought with a sudden desperation, remembering what Eunhye had taught her a long time ago. They’d been at the beach, and the sand was cold under their toes. Eunhye crouched, one hand under the icy water. She looked up, squinting into the sunlight, while Dahye watched.
“The moon’s gravity pulls at Earth, causing the oceans to bulge,” Eunhye had said. “That’s what creates low and high tides.”
Inspector Kang looked up. The corners of his mouth were downturned. “Here,” he said abruptly, turning his computer monitor to face her. “Take a look.”
Report Number:4203971-11-038887
Date:2013 June 12
Officers Involved:Officer Kim Doyun (ID: 112107),
Police Assistant Kim Sungmin (ID: 609915)
Incident Details:At approximately 8:45 p.m., Lee Mikyung (age 47) observed a floating body approximately 10 meters from the riverbank in Mapo-gu. Upon arrival, the police and fire department recovered the body of a girl, later identified as Park Eunhye (age 17). The Seoul Metropolitan Fire Department confirmed the individual was deceased at the scene.
Ms. Lee stated that she was walking home after work when she saw an object in the water. Upon closer inspection, she recognized it as a body. Officer Kim Doyun and Police Assistant Kim Sungmin interviewed two additionalwitnesses present at the time of the incident. No unusual activity was reported.
Prior to the incident, on 2013 June 10, the deceased’s parents, Park Youngchul and Park Kyunghee (ages 47 and 45, respectively) reported that she had been missing for approximately 12 hours (see RN 4203971-12-038887 for more information).
Preliminary observations indicated that the death was accidental or self-inflicted. The body exhibited no external injuries other than postmortem damage consistent with aquatic scavenging, likely caused by marine life.
2013 June 19:Upon postmortem investigation, the Medical Examiner’s Office determined no evidence to suggest intoxication or impairment at the time of death. The medical examiner noted injuries caused by marine life consistent with scavenging that occurred after death. The body demonstrated decomposition changes consistent with an estimated submersion time of 3 to 4 days in water (see attachment 5). At autopsy, early pregnancy (approximately 6 to 8 weeks) was identified, not directly related to cause of death.
At this stage of the investigation, there is no evidence to suggest foul play or criminal involvement in the incident.
2013 June 24:After a thorough review of the available evidence and statements, the case has been classified as noncriminal.
Follow-up:None needed.
“Noncriminal? Why isn’t there anything about the man who was involved?” Dahye exclaimed, looking up from the report.
“A man?” Inspector Kang leaned forward, steepling his hands. “I’m not sure I follow.”
“There was a man who hurt her. He forced her to have sex with him, and she ended up pregnant. I thought there was going to be some information about him in this—”
“Miss Park.”
“Did anybody think to question him, or …” Dahye paused. Her voice was rising in pitch. “I don’t even see anything about her pregnancy in these notes.”
“Miss Park!” Inspector Kang slammed his fists onto the table, causing it to shake. “I apologize for showing you this, as it’s obvious you are under a great deal of distress. But the officers involved conducted a thorough investigation and determined your sister’s death to be an accident.”
“That’s not true,” Dahye said.
“Are you insinuating that there was foul play?”
“Yes! He got her pregnant, and then he abandoned her to suffer and die alone. Why wasn’t he punished for that?”
“And how would you know that? Were you present for any of it?”
“No, but—”
“Did he push her into the water? Drown her?”
“No, I’m trying to tell you—”
“If my understanding is correct, you have no evidence to back your claim.”