Images of the suspect in the murder of a woman in her 60s in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, before and after the crime [South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency]
Images of the suspect in the murder of a woman in her 60s in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, before and after the crime [South Gyeongsang Provincial Police Agency]

More than three months after a woman in her 60s was murdered in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, the suspect remains at large — and some YouTubers have begun showing up uninvited at the victim's family home, fingering neighbors as suspects and spreading unverified rumors, stirring controversy.

'I'll catch the killer myself': YouTubers descend on grieving family

According to a JTBC report on Saturday, some YouTubers have been turning up at the victim's family home at all hours, claiming to be covering the case.

Footage aired in the broadcast showed one man walking into the front yard and asking the family for an interview. When they refused, he lingered around the property and set up a phone behind a tripod to film them covertly.

Another YouTuber entered the yard while the family was away, shining a flashlight into every corner of the property. Police responded to reports and turned the individuals away on multiple occasions.

"They just barge into the house like they're on a pilgrimage and say things like, 'I'll catch the killer for you,'" a family member said.

A neighbor said the intrusions had prompted repeated confrontations. "They were shining flashlights at night, so we pushed back a lot," the neighbor said. "When we asked why they were there, they said they run a YouTube channel and asked whether we'd heard of private detectives these days."

Family and neighbors accused: 'Nothing but pain and suffering'

Some YouTubers have also been spreading unverified speculation and rumors — raising allegations that family members were involved in the crime and, in some cases, naming unrelated neighbors as suspects.

"If someone points at a completely innocent person and says they look like the killer, just imagine how that person must feel," one resident said.

The victim's family had left the home for a time after the killing, deeply shaken by the loss, but returned because they could not bear to see the house the deceased had carefully maintained fall into disrepair. The YouTubers' reckless behavior has now put them through a second ordeal.

"We want them to understand that their footsteps at our door bring us nothing but pain and suffering," a family member said.

The victim was found dead in the early hours of June 10 at a residence in Tongyeong. Closed-circuit television footage from the property captured a man wearing a hat and mask, carrying a weapon and a handbag, leaving the scene.

Police have identified the man as the prime suspect and are tracking his whereabouts, but have struggled to determine his identity because his face is largely obscured in the footage. A reward of 100 million won ($74,300) has been offered for information leading to his arrest, and more than 400 tips have been submitted, yet the investigation has made no significant progress.


bbo@heraldcorp.com