국과수 부검 발표, 유병언 사망 원인 판명 불가 ... 미궁으로 빠지나?

Published : Jul 26, 2014 - 01:28 Updated : Jul 26, 2014 - 01:28

국과수가 유병언의 사망 원인을 판명 불가로 전했다.

서중석 국립과학수사연구원 원장은 25일 오전 서울 양천구 소재 국과수 서울분원에서 열린 브리핑을 통해 "독극물 분석과 질식사, 지병, 외력에 의한 사망 여부 등을 분석했으나 부패가 심해 사망 원인을 판명하지 못했다"고 밝혔다.

국과수는 지난달 12일 전남 순천 송치재 인근 밭에서 숨진 채 발견된 유씨의 시신을 지난 22일 서울 분원으로 옮겨 사인을 규명하기 위한 정밀 부검과 약독물 검사 등을 진행해왔다.

국과수는 독극물에 의한 사망 여부를 확인하기 위해 유씨의 간과 폐, 근육 등 감정물을 일반독물과 마약류, 케톤체류 등으로 감정했다. 그 결과 간과 폐는 모두 음성 반응을 보였고 근육은 케톤체류의 경우에만 음성 반응을 보였으며 나머지는 반응이 나타나지 않았다.

서중석 국과수 원장은 또 "목 등 질식사 가능성, 지병 등에 의한 사망 가능성, 멍 등 외력에 의한 사망 가능성 등을 모두 분석했으나 시신이 심하게 부패하고 내부장기가 소실된 탓에 사인을 판명하지 못했다"고 설명했다.

사인 분석에서 뱀 등 맥독성 동물에 의한 중독 또는 약물에 의한 사망 가능성은 낮아 배제됐다.

서중석 국과수 원장은 부검을 통해 확인한 좌측 대퇴골 길이와 추정 신장, 왼쪽 둘째 손가락 끝마디 뼈 결손, 치아 및 DNA 분석 결과 변사체가 유씨가 맞다고 다시 한 번 확인했다.

국과수 부검 발표와 유병언 사망 원인 판명 불가 소식을 접한 네티즌들은 "유병언 사망 원인 판명 불가, 믿을 수 없다" 유병언 사망 원인 판명 불가, 정말일까" "유병언 사망 원인 판명 불가, 시신은 유병언이 맞군" 등의 반응을 보였다. (onlinenews@heraldcorp.com)

<관련 영문 뉴스>

Autopsy on Sewol owner’s body inconclusive

A state agency-led autopsy on the body of the fugitive Yoo Byung-eun to reveal the cause of his death eventually ended in a failure, seemingly due to the severe decomposition of the corpse.

The National Forensic Service said Friday that it had failed to determine the cause of death of Yoo, the owner of the sunken ferry Sewol, who was 73, though it has conducted a postmortem on the body for three days since last Tuesday.

National Forensic Service Director General Seo Joong-seok announces the result of the autopsy on the body of Yoo Byung-eun in Seoul on Friday. Yonhap

At a news briefing at the agency’s Seoul unit, NFS chief Seo Joong-seok stressed that it was unable to determine the cause of death due to the body’s state of heavy decay. He said the agency only confirmed that the corpse, which was found on June 12 by a farmer, was that of the irregularity-ridden Yoo.

Concerning the liquor bottles in a bag found near Yoo’s body, no poisonous contents were discovered, said forensic officials.

While the agency said Yoo’s DNA was found on the empty bottles of soju and squalene (shark liver oil), it downplayed the possibility that he had been poisoned.

The NFS said that no toxic elements or alcohol were discovered in Yoo’s liver, lungs or muscles.

Though the agency issued the possibility that Yoo died from hypothermia, it added that this was just one of several possible scenarios.

Officials, in turn, continued to emphasize the corpse’s state of heavy decomposition throughout their one-hour televised briefing.

“(Generally), there are several methods for uncovering the cause of death for decomposed corpses. But for Yoo’s case, there was no clue to finding the cause as too many bodily tissues had been lost,” said forensic medicine researcher Lee Han-young, who participated in the autopsy on the Sewol owner.

He also said it does not seem that Yoo was killed through a physical assault. Lee, however, said it is hard to determine whether his death was due to suffocation or physical violence, reiterating that few soft tissues remained.

The NFS estimated the height of the dead body at about 1.59 meters.

On Tuesday, when the forensic agency initially received the body from a provincial hospital, the NFS said its officials clarified that they had found “no trace of murder.”

Some criminal profilers dismissed the possibility that the runaway committed suicide, while others raised the scenario that Yoo died from hypothermia.

Other critics have not ruled out the possibility that Yoo’s aides offered him poisoned water or other drinks.

Though the corpse was delivered to a hospital in Suncheon, Jeolla Province, right after a farmer reported it to police on June 12, a lock of hair and some bone fragments from the remains were found to have been left in the field for more than a month, during which time police allegedly failed to identify the body due to the advanced state of decay.

The police confirmed on July 22 ― about 40 days after the farmer’s notification ― that the body is that of Yoo Byung-eun.

By Kim Yon-se

(kys@heraldcorp.com)