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Woman Found Dead in Trunk of Jaguar Was Lured to U.S. to Join ‘Religious Group,’ Then Beaten and Starved: Cops
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A woman found dead in the trunk of a car outside a Georgia sauna this week was lured to the United States to join a religious group and then beaten and starved to death.

Gwinnett County police announced Thursday they had arrested six people — five adults and a 15-year-old boy — in the woman’s death.

As CrimeOnline reported, police were called to Jeju, a popular Korean sauna, by a man who told investigators he thought there might be a body in the trunk of a Jaguar parked outside the building.

Police said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that the victim was from South Korea and had been lured to the Atlanta area over the summer to join a group calling themselves “Soldiers for Christ.” After she arrived, she was beaten and starved until she died.

The medical examiner has not released an official cause of death, but police said it appears the beatings and malnourishment led to the death. The woman, in her 20s or 30s, weighed 70 pounds at the time of her death and may have been in the trunk for days.

Police said Eric Hyun, 26; Juoonhyum Lee, 22; Joonho Lee, 26; Hyunji Lee, 25; Gawom Lee, 26; and Junyeoug Lee, 15, have all been charged with felony murder, imprisonment, tampering with evidence, and concealing a death.

Investigators said they believe Hyun drove the Jaguar to Jeju, parked it there, and had a family member pick him up and take him to the hospital for treatment for an unrelated injury, WSB reported. Then, he sent the family member back to the car to retrieve a personal item. That person found the body and called 911.

The white Jaguar in the parking lot of Jeju/Gwinnett County Police Department

Detectives said the investigation led them to a home in Lawrenceville where brothers Juoonhyum Lee, Joonho Lee, and Junyeoug Lee lived, along with Hyun, who is not related. Hyunji Lee is the girlfriend of one of the suspects. Those five suspects are all US citizens; Gawom Lee is  South Korean citizen who was visiting on a visa.

Investigators say they believe the crimes took place in the home’s basement, where the woman was held.

Police said Hyun and Jungyeon Lee are in custody at the hospital, although they did not say why.

Investigators don’t believe there are more victims. They said they will release the woman’s identity once her family in South Korea has been notified.

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[Featured image: Top, left to right: Gawom Lee, Hyunji Lee, and Joonho Lee. Bottom, left to right: Juoonhyum Lee and Eric Hyun/Gwinnett County Police Department]