Mother appealed to police to “find her,” but ... Father in his 40s who lost custody found dead with 4-year-old daughter

[Financial News] In Jeju, a father in his 40s and his four-year-old daughter were found dead inside a car. The parents were embroiled in a custody dispute, and it emerged that the wife, who had custody, had asked police to take measures to ensure her daughter's safety ten days earlier.
According to the Jeju Fire and Safety Headquarters on the 13th, a man in his 40s and his four-year-old daughter were found dead inside a rental car in a public parking lot in Pyoseon-myeon, Seogwipo, at around 6:08 p.m. the previous day. The bereaved family alleges that the tragedy could not be prevented because police responded passively despite repeated requests for help.
The man, an Australian permanent resident, is understood to have brought his daughter to Seoul without warning around late October last year while undergoing divorce proceedings in Australia with his wife, who is also in her 40s. He reportedly developed post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing an accident and was prescribed several medications for depression.
The wife, who was awarded custody of their daughter by a court on March 30 this year, filed a missing-person report with Seogwipo Police Station in early April, asking, “Please help enforce the custody order for my daughter.” Police reportedly checked on the daughter’s safety at the time.
Risk signs resurfaced early this month. On the 2nd, the wife heard that her husband was taking their daughter to the United States and asked a Korean court for emergency measures through the Australian Embassy. The following day, the court decided to revoke the daughter’s passport.
The wife also asked the Jeju Provincial Police Agency to determine her daughter’s whereabouts and take measures to ensure her safety, saying, “My husband is behaving strangely, and I’m worried about our daughter being with him.” The bereaved family, however, alleges that they received no contact from police before the two were found dead.
The bereaved family said, “We received no contact from police after the last report,” adding, “We contacted relevant agencies every day from Australia and pleaded with the police, but this happened in the end.”
They particularly pointed out that police had not even prepared a report documenting the outcome when the missing-person report was filed.
The wife said, “During questioning by police, I asked why I hadn’t been given any information when I filed the missing-person report about the report of suspected child abuse from last March. I was told, ‘We didn’t check. We’re sorry.’” She added, “I wasn’t even told why no report documenting the outcome had been prepared.”
She went on, “What more could I have done?” and voiced her anguish: “I contacted relevant agencies every day from another country and pleaded with the police, but this happened in the end.”
An official from the Jeju Provincial Police Agency said, “We believe all basic measures were taken,” adding, “We will check the details and state our position on the 14th.”※ If you are struggling with difficult issues such as depression, or have a family member or acquaintance going through similar difficulties, you can speak with a professional 24 hours a day by calling the Suicide Prevention Counseling Hotline at 109.[email protected] Ahn Ga-eul Reporter