My Calling Is Profiler [EN]: Chapter 238

‘But that’s how the surveillance gets bypassed.’

Feinting to the east and attacking to the west is a time-honored tactic. Of course, it’s not as if someone deliberately parked their car there to facilitate this crime.

The person who actually parked the car had been secretly parking there for months, infuriating the residents. So, while it’s true that they inadvertently provided an opportunity, it’s unlikely they’re the culprit.

“Were there any suspicious people seen at the time?”

“They were only away for less than 10 minutes.”

There was no one suspicious. In the first place, it’s hard to imagine anyone holding a grudge against an 8-month-old baby.

“Do either of you have any grudges against anyone?”

“Against us? We live ordinary lives.”

“Grudges can start from very trivial things.”

There are even disturbed individuals who stalk others for years, making harassing phone calls at night, simply because they weren’t invited to karaoke. Grudges can fester from minor incidents and escalate to unbelievably cruel actions.

The idea that the severity of a grudge is proportional to the resulting actions is, unfortunately, a misconception often encountered in profiling.

“Still, I don’t believe we have any enemies who would go so far as to kill our child. Our jobs aren’t the type that would cause anyone to hold a grudge in the first place.”

The mother is a full-time housewife, and the father is an ordinary office worker. It’s not a large corporation where he wields significant influence; he simply works as a section chief in a small company with about 50 employees.

Given the company’s size, he likely has to be deferential to everyone. Besides, a section chief in a company that small doesn’t typically have enough power to act like a bully.

“What about your daughter?”

“Our daughter is just a kind child……”

‘Well, I expected that.’

The fact that the child is now 8 months old suggests that the mother initially intended to give birth and raise the child.

If adoption had been planned, the child would have been placed for adoption immediately after birth.

It’s difficult to characterize a high school sophomore who chooses to give birth and raise a child as having a bad personality.

People often associate unwed mothers with delinquency and assume they are troubled individuals. But the term “teenage unwed mother” doesn’t automatically equate to a bad person.

Some might assume that wild or reckless teenagers are the ones who have children. But realistically, those types of individuals often don’t carry pregnancies to term. They devalue life and readily choose abortion. That’s why individuals with questionable character are less likely to become unwed mothers.

“What did you do after the child disappeared?”

“We reported it immediately.”

Since an 8-month-old baby couldn’t possibly walk, open a locked door, and go outside on their own, the grandparents naturally reported it to the police first.

But the police, using the excuse that the child wasn’t even officially registered [birth registration], dismissed it as a possible case of mental distress on the part of the parents. It wasn’t until the next morning, when a report came in that the child’s body had been found, that they finally launched a proper investigation.

“But then they tried to pin the crime on us.”

“Hmm.”

“Detective Park, what do you think happened?”

Lee Ji-soo tilted her head, puzzled by the situation. There were too many odd details, no matter how she analyzed it.

But Park Do-joon understood the situation well enough simply by listening.

He felt like he grasped the core issue just from hearing the story.

Park Do-joon stroked his chin as he considered their words.

“It seems the police are trying to shift the blame to cover up their own mistakes.”

“The police?”

“In the current situation, the police’s initial investigation is undeniably flawed.”

A mere 8-month-old baby disappeared. Naturally, the police should have immediately launched an investigation as soon as they were notified. But for some reason, the police didn’t investigate.

“They’re making excuses that the child isn’t registered in the system, but that’s irrelevant. There are numerous cases where birth registrations are delayed for various reasons.”

Naturally, when a report is filed, the surrounding area should be thoroughly investigated first. But initially, they didn’t even conduct a search, citing possible mental illness.

“But the child died. What will the media do then?”

“Ah, I see.”

The media will undoubtedly criticize the police’s initial handling of the case. It’s undeniable that they made a significant error.

“The problem is, to prevent such media scrutiny, it’s crucial to deflect blame onto another party, such as the victim’s family.”

“Surely not. What if the victim’s family is actually innocent?”

At those words, Park Do-joon shrugged and said with a hint of resignation.

“That’s a secondary concern. The police probably don’t care, even if they’re exonerated later.”

From the police’s perspective, they will have succeeded in silencing potential critics. It’s unlikely the media will give credence to the claims of suspected criminals.

“What does that mean? Do you really believe we’re not the criminals?”

“Because there’s no evidence to suggest you are. All three of you have solid alibis.”

Park Ho-yeon was in the hospital, Park Gi-soo was at work, and Kim Jeong-sook was out of the house. Even if they had apprehended the perpetrator quickly, they couldn’t have been involved. The house lacked CCTV, and a search of surrounding CCTV footage revealed no sign of anyone carrying the child.

“As a result, they’re in a position where they bear the responsibility for the initial investigation’s failure, which led to a murder. And in that situation, the police superiors are desperate to conceal their culpability at all costs.”

In that case, they would resort to any means necessary to hide their guilt.

“Especially if someone in the upper ranks is obsessed with promotion, they’re more likely to make such reckless decisions.”

“Promotion……”

“The lower ranks wouldn’t initiate this plan. This type of incident has the potential to ruin the police chief’s career.”

At those words, everyone clenched their fists in anger. That implies there’s someone in a very high position within the police station who values their career advancement more than the grief of the victim’s family.

“So, they might have reasoned that they would shift the blame to protect themselves first, and then apprehend the real culprit after the public outcry subsides.”

Park Do-joon said with a sigh to the lawyer.

“So, you’re suggesting they’re going to frame our client to divert public attention.”

“Yes, because relatively few people are aware of the child’s existence.”

Therefore, the police find it easy to fabricate a narrative that the child was already dead before the reported disappearance.

“But what about the autopsy?”

“The autopsy will provide a rough estimate of the time of death. But that’s only ‘rough.’ Moreover, most autopsy knowledge is based on adult physiology.”

Information on autopsies of children, particularly infants, is significantly limited. Even the method of measuring liver temperature to estimate the time of death is less reliable.

There’s a well-established system and ample data on how quickly the liver cools under various conditions and at different times, but that information is primarily based on adults.

Realistically, it’s challenging to obtain such precise data for children.

There is less information available regarding sudden deaths in children, as they are a vulnerable population requiring protection from adults.

“Of course, we can make some educated guesses.”

Even so, it will likely be sufficient for the police to implicate the parents and conceal their initial investigative failures.

“So, they’re not genuinely going to investigate?”

“Yes, the police’s primary objective is probably to escape media scrutiny.”

“They’re insane, really?”

Lee Ji-soo frowned, expressing her frustration. But the lawyer didn’t seem surprised. He simply offered a bitter smile.

“There must have been a reason for this approach. I initially found it strange.”

“Strange?”

“The police being incompetent and being deliberately malicious are two distinct issues.”

When Lee Ji-soo didn’t understand and voiced her confusion, Park Do-joon shrugged and elaborated.

“What do you mean, Detective Park?”

“In child murder cases, the perpetrators are often individuals close to the child. However, there are also cases where that’s not the situation.”

Consequently, even if they harbor suspicions, they typically treat the individuals as the victim’s family initially, and then shift to treating them as suspects if suspicious evidence emerges later.

“But I heard that this case is being treated as a suspect case from the outset. That’s what I found peculiar.”

Even in child disappearance cases, even if the parents who actually killed their child appear on television and plead, ‘Please just bring my son back alive,’ the police can’t openly accuse them, even if they have strong suspicions.

“But suddenly they’re focusing on this family? That doesn’t make sense. There must be an ulterior motive.”

And that ulterior motive is to cover up their errors in the initial investigation.

Once they establish the narrative that the victim’s family is responsible, the media will likely discredit any claims they make.

“But wouldn’t there be a significant backlash later?”

Lee Ji-soo shook her head, unconvinced. Then the lawyer, who had been listening intently, sighed and said.

“That’s the crux of the problem. The police are also the ones who will face the backlash.”

“The police?”

“The police are responsible for investigating the child’s death. What will happen if the police ultimately fail to apprehend the real perpetrator?”

At those words, Lee Ji-soo’s face contorted. The implications were clear.

“So, they have no intention of clearing their name… something along those lines.”

“Similar.”

Of course, even if the police are suspicious now and pressure the victim’s family, the victim’s family will not be convicted unless there is irrefutable evidence.

But they will already be stigmatized as child murderers in the eyes of their community.

The only way to clear their names is for the police to arrest the actual criminal.

“The problem is that the only organization with the capability and authority to do that is the police.”

The prosecution? Unfortunately, they primarily direct the investigation, rather than conducting it themselves. Even if they issue an order from above, ‘Investigate,’ it’s effectively nullified if those below respond, ‘We can’t identify the criminal.’

In reality, there are more instances than one might think where the prosecution orders a reinvestigation, but the lower ranks simply rehash the existing information.

“So, in this case?”

“They’ll likely drag their feet during the investigation.”

Catching the criminal would be detrimental to the organization. As such, the police find themselves in a situation where apprehending the perpetrator is inevitably a burden.

It’s natural for the investigating officers to feel like they’re merely going through the motions rather than actively pursuing leads.

“Moreover, the police have faced heavy criticism recently, right?”

“That’s true.”

Recently, the police were heavily criticized in connection with another child murder case. They endangered other children by neglecting the perpetrator while conducting a covert investigation.

“In that context, if it’s revealed once again that the investigation was inadequate in a child case, many individuals will face severe consequences.”

Kang Soo-won nodded, indicating his understanding of the situation. If this situation escalates, it won’t be limited to the police chief’s level. One instance could be considered a mistake, but two instances would be viewed as intentional negligence.