Two separate searches, one for an alleged murder suspect, another for a missing Surrey woman, have become entwined.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) confirmed they are looking for 59-year-old alleged murder suspect Youngku Youn and say he may be traveling with Kyonghee Kim.
The 54-year-old Kim has not been seen since Oct. 5. She was last spotted driving north over the Golden Ears Bridge at 12 p.m. and on Oct. 8 her car was found in Golden Ears Park.
The discovery led police to block the entrance of the park for several hours over the weekend while the RCMP’s Emergency Response Team, along with the police K-9 unit, were brought in to investigate the area.
At the time, police would not disclose the reason for the search but now say they believe the missing Surrey woman is Youn’s girlfriend.
Youn is wanted in connection with the death of his ex-wife Hee Sook Youn. Her body was discovered inside her Burnaby business at 11 a.m. on Oct. 5. The couple had divorced four years ago and Youn was charged with assault and had a court order to stay away from his ex-wife.
According to IHIT, Kim was contacted by Youn minutes before his ex-wife’s body was found and at about 12:30 p.m., on the same day, the Ridge Meadows RCMP received information about a man who was suicidal. The man was identified by the caller as Youn, who was already flagged by police as a person of interest in the murder of his ex-wife.
WATCH: Staff Sgt. Jennifer Pound from IHIT updates the public Tuesday afternoon on the search for Youngku Youn and Kyonghee Kim
Mounties searched the area and found Youn’s PT Cruiser on the corner of Harris Road and Fraser Way.
While trying to track down Youn, police then found Kim’s vehicle in Golden Ears Park. IHIT along with multiple police departments conducted an extensive search but did not locate the couple.
Police said they do not believe Kim was involved in the homicide but that if she is in the company of Youn, she may be in danger.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Youn and Kim is asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.