Body Found in Car Trunk Outside Georgia Korean Spa Leads to Arrests
In a shocking turn of events, Georgia authorities have apprehended five adults and one teenager following the discovery of a body inside the trunk of a car parked outside a Korean spa in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett County Police received a call to 911, alerting them to a potential body inside a vehicle near the Jeju Sauna on Gwinnett Place Drive in unincorporated Duluth at approximately 10:50 p.m. on September 12. Upon arrival at the scene, they indeed found the lifeless body of a female concealed in the trunk of a silver Jaguar sedan.
The suspects, identified as Joonhyun Lee (22), Joonho Lee (26), Hyunji Lee (25), Gawon Lee (26), Junyeoug Lee (15), all residents of Lawrenceville, and Eric Hyun (26) from Suwanee, are now facing charges of felony murder, imprisonment, tampering with evidence, and concealing a death.
During a press conference held on Thursday, Gwinnett police revealed that the victim, a female from South Korea, had come to the Atlanta area this summer to join a religious organization called “Soldiers of Christ,” which the suspects claimed to be part of. Her identity has not been disclosed, as police have not yet made contact with her family in South Korea.
While the exact cause of her death remains undetermined, the Medical Examiner’s Office suggests malnourishment may have played a role. Detectives suspect that the victim, whose body weighed a mere 70 pounds when discovered, endured repeated beatings and starvation while being held captive.
Gwinnett police believe Eric Hyun was the driver of the Jaguar and that he called a family member to pick him up shortly after parking the vehicle. Hyun was subsequently taken to the hospital for unrelated injuries. While at the hospital, he requested the family member retrieve a personal item from the car, leading to the discovery of the body in the trunk.
A search warrant was executed at a residence connected to Eric Hyun in unincorporated Lawrenceville, where detectives and crime scene investigators collected evidence pointing to the basement as the crime scene.
Surveillance footage from the Jeju Sauna showed a man parking a silver Jaguar next to a Mercedes in the spa’s parking area. The man was observed inspecting the Jaguar’s trunk before leaving in the Mercedes. Later that night, the Mercedes returned to the car, followed by the arrival of the police.
The Jeju Sauna management issued a statement assuring customers that the incident had no relation to their business operations and occurred solely in the parking lot. They emphasized their commitment to customer safety and cooperation with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.
Gwinnett police have confirmed that the spa is not connected to the crime in any way. Anyone with additional information about the case is urged to contact Gwinnett County police detectives at 770-513-5300 or submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers at 404-577-TIPS (8477), potentially leading to a cash reward for information resulting in an arrest and indictment.