UPDATE 12/18/17: County law enforcement have said the body of Mrs. Ji is still unaccounted for and the department is continuing to pursue leads in the case. Mr. Ji and Ms. Choi are expected in San Benito County Superior Court on Thursday, December 21.
On Saturday, December 2, 2017, San Benito County Sheriff’s Deputies were contacted by an adult female from Los Angeles, CA, who was wishing to report her mother as missing. She explained the following:
The female and her sister had not heard from their mother since Monday, November 27, 2017. This was odd as they had daily communication with her up until that time. On Friday, December 1, she received an odd message from her father, Sang JI stating her mother went to South Korea unexpectedly. She contacted family in South Korea who said the mother was not there, and had not contacted them to go there. The female and her sister were concerned so she drove to Hollister from Los Angeles to confront the father.
The daughter arrived in Hollister and contacted her father at the family home. The father was in the company of a female identified as Jung CHOI. Sang said Jung was a cousin, but she was unknown to the daughter. The daughter became increasing concerned for her mother after her conversation with Sang and Jung. She contacted the Sheriff’s Office to file a missing person report on her mother.
Since then, the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office Detectives have been working on the case. Leads were developed to show there was a likelihood the missing female had been killed. A search warrant was authored and was served on December 6, 2017. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Response Team and Santa Clara County Human Remains Detection dogs and their handlers assisted.
Evidence was located to suggest the female was killed. As of the point of this release, the body of the female has not been recovered. Both Sang JI and Jung CHOI were arrested and booked in the San Benito County Jail on suspicion of murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Anybody with information on this, or any other SBCSO case, is urged to call our tip-line at 831 636-4084 or the Investigations Division at 831 636-4080.
