Six people who identified themselves as members of a religious group called “Soldiers of Christ” were arrested in connection with the death of a South Korean woman who was beaten and starved in Georgia, authorities said.
The victim was a woman in her 20s or 30s and weighed approximately 30 kg when she was discovered on Tuesday night in the trunk of a car parked in front of Jeju Sauna, a popular South Korean spa located in Duluth, about 25 miles north of Atlanta, the Gwinnett County Police Department said in a news release.
Duluth’s population is nearly one-quarter Asian, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
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The medical examiner’s office believes malnutrition may be a contributing factor in the woman’s death, but the exact cause of death is still under investigation, police said.
The woman is believed to have been the victim of beatings and malnutrition for weeks, the department said. Detectives believe the woman moved from South Korea to the United States during the summer of this year “for the purpose of joining a religious organization,” the agency said.
Officers found the woman in the trunk of a car after one of the suspects, 26-year-old Eric Hyun, left his car in a parking lot and was picked up by a family member, police said.
Later, Hyun asked a family member to retrieve something from his vehicle where the woman was kept. When the family member found her body in the trunk, they called 911, the department said.
Authorities then conducted a search of a home associated with the vehicle, where they allege the woman’s body was found.
Police say the “Soldiers of Christ” beat and kept the victim at home until her death, but did not specify when the woman likely died.
In addition to Hyun, the suspects were identified by police as Gawom Lee, 26; João Lee, 26; Hyunji Lee, 25; and Juoonhyum Lee, 22. One of the individuals arrested is 15 years old, police said.
They all face charges of intentional homicide, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another person, according to police.
A CNN was unable to identify lawyers for the six suspects for comment.
The South Korean consulate in Atlanta declined to comment when contacted by CNN .
One of the suspects is a South Korean citizen who is visiting the country on a visa, authorities said, while the others are American citizens.
Police released photos of the basement that appear to show a storage room with dirty clothes and other supplies neatly arranged on shelves. The carpet in the room has large blood stains, which were obscured in photos provided by the department.
Authorities have not released the victim’s name, pending notification of his death to his family in South Korea.
Source: CNN Brasil
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