This photo taken on Wednesday shows the palm tree farm in Jeju Island where Jang Mi-ran, a 37-year-old woman who went missing in May, was found dead Monday. (Yonhap) Police suspect Jang Mi-ran, a Jeju woman whose missing person case was falsely closed by local police, died by suicide, but family and friends remain unconvinced.The preliminary police investigation has found evidence indicating death by hanging — although officials stressed it is not definitive. Officials also found a cord hanging from the tree.But several people close to her have doubts based on where her body was found, and locals have raised doubts over how a short woman of slight built was able to hang herself from the tree as police suggested.Questions over police findingsThe Jeju Provincial Police Agency found no evidence of foul play, based on the inspection of the site and autopsy results. A National Forensic Service analysis of Jang's body showed fracture on Jang’s hyoid bone — a U-shaped bone in at the front of the neck — which is typical of death by hanging.But the police investigation had taken place over three months since Jang went missing between May 12 and 13, and she is believed to have died just a few hours after she was last seen. The island has had substantial rain since then, and her body had decayed in the summer weather.The bereaved family has claimed that Jang had been afraid of the palm tree farm itself, and has refrained from going there alone. They raised questions over why she went there late at night — or in the early hours of the morning — when there were no indications of her wanting to commit suicide.Jang's boyfriend, who filed the initial missing person report in May, said he cannot understand why she was found near the palm trees. He told police that she was suffering from depression, although police found no indication that Jang was being treated for it.Jang was found just about 400 meters away from her home, but the footage from the surveillance cameras had been erased by June. This was because the police officer had closed her case after falsely claiming that he had talked to Jang and verified her safety.The officer surnamed Bu is currently undergoing a police investigation.Pyo Chang-Won, a former lawmaker and well-known criminologist, said that Bu appears to have closed the case to reduce his workload. He said Bu could be gained nothing by closing the case, other than avoiding the trouble of preparing materials for meetings related to the case.Pyo also pointed out that the severe decay of body makes it impossible to determine the time of death by forensic evidence at the scene. He said the hyoid bone fracture — cited as key evidence of self-strangulation — also occurs in cases of strangulation.While it is possible to conclude Jang died by strangulation, it is forensically impossible to prove that she did it herself.Jeju police are conducting forensic analysis on Jang's phone for more evidence. Officials have yet to find evidence that she went somewhere else significant, or talked to anyone else on the phone since she left her residence.A self-proclaimed Jeju resident on Thursday posted a photo of a palm tree in their backyard, and said it would be virtually impossible for a woman of Jang's stature — 157 centimeters tall — to hang the rope from the tree.Another person claiming to be a Jeju resident claimed it was difficult for even a grown man to climb a palm tree, and such trees do not usually have thick branches to hang a rope.But police reportedly conducted a test that confirmed it was possible for the branch of the palm tree where the cord was found to support an adult's weight. And while climbing one may be difficult, it can be done by children.