Infanticide Case Still Puzzles Police

A DNA test showed that Mr. C (40) is the father of two infants found dead in the refrigerator of his villa in Seorae village, Seocho-gu, Seoul, but there are still some unanswered questions.

The central issue of who the infants’ mother is or how Mr. C is involved in the case still remains unresolved.

The Bangbae Police station, which is in charge of the case, investigated a Philippine housemaid Mrs. L (49) on July 29, but L is said to have stated that she cleaned the villa every Tuesday and that she knew nothing about the infants.

Who is the mother?-

Now that the identity of the infants’ father was discovered, the question of who the infants’ mother is has shaped up as a key to unraveling the case.

The father of the infants, Mr. C, is now abroad, so the police are devoting all its efforts to finding out the identity of the mother. So far, the police picked up a housemaid, “L,” who came to Korea on July 27, and a Caucasian girl about 14 years old, who was seen in front of the villa on its list for investigation.

The police said, “Considering the age of “L,” it is unlikely that she could be the mother, but we requested the National Institute of Scientific Investigation (NISI) to analyze the DNA extracted from the oral mucosa as we can’t rule out her involvement in the case.”

A NISI official noted, “whether or not “L” is linked to the case will be discovered in a couple of days.”

Regarding the identity of the girl, nothing was found out except that she was seen by residents around July 14.

Possibility of Mr. C’s involvement-

It still remains unclear whether “C” knew that the infants were his children or that “C” himself played a role in the murder or abandonment of the bodies.

The police presume that given the report by “C” of the case after finding the bodies of infants, “C” didn’t know the infants were his or that even if he knew, he has no connection with the murder or abandonment.

However, it is still strange that Mr. C returned to Korea in the middle of vacation in France, stayed alone at home, ordered salted mackerel just before leaving and called the janitor after informing his friend Lee (43) of the discovery of the bodies, an indication of his efforts to secure witnesses.

The janitor, who was with “C” until the policed arrived since “C” discovered the bodies, remarked, “I now think that “C” might have called me on purpose.”

Meanwhile, the DNA confirmed that the two infants were not identical twins. A police officer said, “Considering the circumstances, it is highly likely that the infants are fraternal twins,” and added that whether they are mixed blood or not could be released only after they obtain the infants’ maternal DNA.

peacechaos@donga.com