Detectives have arrested five adults and one juvenile in connection with the death of a female whose body was found Tuesday night in the trunk of a car in Duluth.
Following Thursday’s announcement of the six arrests, authorities have transitioned the case into a homicide investigation. The six suspects below were all charged with felony murder, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence and concealing the death of another:
- Eric Hyun, 26, of Suwanee
- Gawom Lee, 26, of Lawrenceville
- Joonho Lee, 26, of Lawrenceville
- Juoonhyum Lee, 22, of Lawrenceville
- Hyunji Lee, 25, of Lawrenceville
- Junyeoug Lee, 15, of Lawrenceville
Detectives currently believe Eric Hyun was the driver of the silver passenger car that contained the body of a female victim in the trunk. Once Hyun parked the vehicle at 3555 Gwinnett Place Drive, he reportedly called a family member to pick him up. That family member drove Hyun to a hospital in Atlanta due to “unrelated injuries,” officials said Thursday.
While Hyun was at the hospital, he asked the unnamed family member to retrieve a personal item from within the vehicle. When the family member arrived at the vehicle, he discovered what “appeared to be a deceased body” in the trunk of the car. At that point, the family member called 9-1-1.
A search warrant was executed at 2415 Stable Gate in unincorporated Lawrenceville, which is said to have been a location associated with Hyun. Detectives believe the basement of the home is where the original crime took place.
The victim reportedly moved to the United States from South Korea sometime in the summer of this year for the purpose of joining a religious organization, detectives said. Those accused in this case have referred to themselves as belonging to the “Soldiers of Christ.” The victim was reportedly subjected to beatings and malnourishment for weeks, according to authorities.
The victim’s body weighed approximately 70 pounds when discovered in the vehicle’s trunk by detectives. The Medical Examiner’s Office believes malnourishment to be a possible contributing factor to the victim’s death, but the exact cause is still under investigation.
The victim’s family currently resides in South Korea and death notifications are yet to be made. All suspects involved in the incident have been arrested and are in custody, according to detectives.
Original story published at 5:46 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13:
Gwinnett Police detectives are looking for leads behind Tuesday night's discovery of a body inside of a car in Duluth.
Police responded to the 9-1-1 call of suspicious activity along the 3500 block of Gwinnett Place Drive Tuesday night just before 11:00 p.m. Gwinnett officers arrived to find a body inside the trunk of a vehicle at the scene.
No word on the identity of the deceased, or the cause for the person's death, according to police.
Anyone with possible leads to the case is asked to contact Gwinnett Police detectives at (770) 513-5300.
To remain anonymous, tipsters should contact Crime Stoppers at (404) 577-TIPS (8477) or visit www.stopcrimeATL.com.
