The detective team leader investigating last month's arson attack at an apartment management office in Gyeongsan, North Gyeongsang Province, has been found dead, and police are looking into the circumstances of his death.
According to the North Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency, Inspector A, a man in his 50s attached to the Gyeongsan Police Station's criminal investigations division, was found dead around 4:30 p.m. Sunday near a reservoir in Docheon-myeon, Changnyeong-gun, South Gyeongsang Province.
Police launched a search after his family reported losing contact with him, tracking his location through his mobile phone before finding him — already dead — at the scene.
No signs of criminal activity have been found, and no suicide note was discovered.
Inspector A had been leading the detective team investigating the July 23 arson at the Gyeongsan apartment management office. Police said no connection has been established between his death and the arson investigation.
In that July 23 incident, a 71-year-old resident surnamed Ryu got into an argument with the building's residents' association representative and others at the management office, then doused the area with a flammable substance and set it on fire. Three people — the residents' association representative, a security guard and another resident — were killed, and five others, including Ryu himself, were injured.
Investigators have booked Ryu on charges of arson causing death and injury to persons in an occupied structure.
The Changnyeong Police Station is investigating the exact circumstances of Inspector A's death.
If you're thinking about self-harm or suicide, contact the Ministry of Health and Welfare's helpline 1393, available 24/7. Please request a translator for English-language services.
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