On a chilling February afternoon in 1988, the quaint town of Millen in Jenkins County bore witness to a grim discovery. Within the cold confines of a dumpster just north of the town, a large nylon suitcase concealed a harrowing secret. Wrapped meticulously in plastic and bound with duct tape, the lifeless remains of a young woman lay hidden.
She had been dead for roughly four to seven days, taken from the world by asphyxiation. The woman was 26-years-old at the time she was found.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation that would span decades. The initial quest to uncover the identity of the victim saw them comparing fingerprints and dental records with missing persons from across the nation.
Despite the relentless efforts of a dedicated GBI forensic artist, who crafted a sketch of the potential appearance of the deceased, her identity remained elusive. Both the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined the hunt, releasing their own reconstructions, all in the hope of giving a name to the victim.
As the years wore on, hope seemed to wane. DNA technology, ever-advancing, offered renewed potential, and evidence was resubmitted for further scrutiny. While DNA was detected, it proved incompatible with the entries within the CODIS DNA Database. The mystery continued to loom large, casting a somber shadow over Jenkins County.
However, 2023 heralded a breakthrough. The GBI, in collaboration with Othram, Inc., a frontrunner in Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing based in The Woodlands, Texas, embarked on a fresh approach.
Using Othram’s advanced DNA testing techniques, a genealogical search was initiated.
The result? A match. The previously unidentified victim was finally named: Chong Un Kim, a 26-year-old from Hinesville in Liberty County.
Kim, who had journeyed from Korea to the United States in 1981, had made Hinesville her home for several years before her untimely demise.
This monumental breakthrough was made possible by “Project Justice,” which funded the pivotal DNA testing. As October 2023 unfurled, the GBI reached out to Kim’s surviving family members, bringing closure, albeit bitter, to a chapter that had remained open for far too long.
Yet, while one question has been answered, others remain. The GBI is fervently appealing to the public, seeking anyone who might have known Chong Un Kim or possesses any pertinent information related to this case. Anonymous tips are welcomed and can be submitted via various channels provided by the GBI.
