Video Shows Man Stealing Choi’s Urn

[ashiva.livejournal.com]

Choi Jin-sil

Police have found a crucial clue in the investigation of the theft of an urn containing the ashes of the late actress Choi Jin-sil.

Officers from the Yangpyeong Police Station said Thursday that the images showed the theft at the cemetery in Yangsuri, Gyeonggi Province. "A man between his late 30s and early 50s approached Choi's tomb, made a hole in the stone tomb with a hammer, and took the urn, around 10 p.m. on Aug. 4, according to the surveillance cameras set up around her burial site," a police official said.



The man stayed around the tomb for about an hour. He did not wear a cap at first, but put it on in the middle of carrying out the act. "He organized the tomb after breaking it, sweeping the debris and wiping it with a damp cloth," he said.

According to the video clips, the crime took place early this month, while police initially suspected it had happened between 6 p.m. on Aug. 14 and 8 a.m. the next day when a janitor at the cemetery found flowers littered around Choi's tomb, the tomb broken and the urn missing.

Right after the incident was reported, police said the surveillance cameras did not work as they had been broken on Aug. 12 after being struck by lightning. But they found footage of the act later while checking the camera recordings between June 27 and Aug. 12 to see whether the suspect had visited in advance.

Police are trying to identify the suspect by investigating those who have been convicted of similar charges. "The investigation is ongoing, but we presume the suspect carried out the crime alone. When we get a clear image of the recording, we'll put him on a wanted list," the officer said.

Choi, who enjoyed a 20-year acting career, committed suicide in October last year at her home in Seoul, allegedly from depression following rumors that she had lent money to the late actor Ahn Jae-hwan, who killed himself a month earlier in the face of snowballing debt.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

ETA: Updated the article with some info from a newer article

Comments

[readyforever.livejournal.com]

honestly, that's so fucked up. i hope he's caught and her urn&ashes can be returned :\

[cuekey.livejournal.com]

That's horrible to hear. Does he have no shame?
I hope they catch him soon. RIP. :(

[caricari.livejournal.com]

Im so happy the police have an aid in retrieving the ashes and punishing the sick bastard who committed this horrible crime. Though I find it strange no one noticed a cracked tombstone, if it happened maybe a week or more before.

[fraash.livejournal.com]

JUST RETURN HER ASHES. CMON, SHES ALREADY HAD A TOUGH LIFE.
ugh, people are so screwed in the head.

[merlinspants.livejournal.com]

lmaoo but ia, this is awful and i hope they catch him :(

[baeby-bloo-skys.livejournal.com]

why can't she be left alone in peace, i hope the person who did this is found and the ashes are returned safely

[shikinluv.livejournal.com]

They need to catch this low life and end him.

Also wtf x infinity at this: Investigators are tracking ex-convicts who have committed similar crime

What is there to gain by desecrating someone's remains?!

[leap4detonation.livejournal.com]

I hope they find him, but I really wonder if he still has the ashes. What if he threw them somewhere? :(

[microkiss.livejournal.com]

): ikr.

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

It really depends on what reason he stole them for. If he stole them for revenge then he probably chucked them some place. But if he's a pervert who knows wtf he's doing with them. He could be eating them.

[finalfantasyo13.livejournal.com]

"He could be eating them"

ew. WTF? such a sick, uncareing creeper://///

[super-tricie341.livejournal.com]

I wonder if he's just an obsessed fan who wanted to keep her close to him?

[beautifiers.livejournal.com]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFU

[shanny-w.livejournal.com]

A person from Choi's agency said he visited Choi's grave two days before the incident because Choi had appeared in his dream(...) (http://community.livejournal.com/omonatheydidnt/1363048.html)

So is it possible the friend could have visited the grave after the crime was committed and not noticed? That's jacked up. I hope this dude gets caught. And he's pretty stupid to not wear the hat from the start.

[supremacists.livejournal.com]

Gosh, this is so wrong. What ever happened to resting in peace?

[marslover13.livejournal.com]

I still don't see what he hoped to accomplish by doing this :/

[iheartdarkblue.livejournal.com]

>:O

[bambayahh.livejournal.com]

i hope he gets caught soon (with the ashes safe) and then i hope he explains why he did this. it really doesn't make sense :|

[stopthedisco.livejournal.com]

Not gonna lie, all of these articles concerning this woman makes me want to cry for her and her family.

[theweathertoday.livejournal.com]

ugh me too :(

[pivotandsway.livejournal.com]

omg I didn't even realize she's the actress in the show I'm watching. This whole situation is so horrible. I hope they catch the guy soon and that her remains are returned. RIP :[

[ficcy.livejournal.com]

I hope he hasn't done anything to her ashes, and I hope he gets found. :(

[-ochre.livejournal.com]

Ughhh. This whole situation sucks. I hope he doesn't do shit to the ashes.

[flawl3ss27.livejournal.com]

people are so messed up it's sickening. I hope her ashes are still all together and okay...this is just horrible.