Six people who identify themselves as members of the "Soldiers of Christ" religious group have been arrested for the murder of a South Korean woman after her body was found in the trunk of a car.
The car was found parked outside a popular spa in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia.
The six suspects were five adults between the ages of 22 and 26, and one 15-year-old juvenile. The Gwinnett County Police Department in Georgia said they were charged with felony murder, false imprisonment, tampering with evidence, and concealing the death of another.
Detectives believe the now-deceased woman moved to the U.S. from South Korea to join the Soldiers of Christ organization and that she was tortured. The police referred to the group as a criminal street gang.
"The victim was apparently subjected to beatings and malnourishment for weeks," police said in a press release. "The victim's body weighed approximately 70 pounds when discovered by detectives. The Medical Examiner's Office believes malnourishment could be a contributing factor to her death."
Detectives believe 26-year-old Eric Hyun was the driver of the car that contained the victim's body in the trunk. Hyun parked his car on Gwinnett Place Drive and asked a family member to pick him up. The family member drove Hyun to the hospital for unrelated injuries. Hyun asked the family member to retrieve a personal item he had forgotten in the car, but when the family member got to the vehicle, they discovered what appeared to be a dead body in the trunk. That's when the family member called 911, which was on the night of September 12.
Police investigated and searched a location associated with Hyun, who is among those arrested. Detectives believe the crimes took place in that basement.
An investigation remains ongoing.
