The Sewol ferry disaster appears to have taken another life -- this time of the man whom some blamed for the sinking . Yoo Byung Eun , the subject of an intense , nationwide manhunt who went missing after the South Korean ferry sank in April , was declared dead , police said Tuesday . Yoo 's body was found decomposing in a plum field by a farmer on June 12 . Police used DNA and fingerprints to positively identify him . Prosecutors believe Yoo , 73 , and his sons controlled the shipping company that operated the deadly ferry . The ferry that capsized , killed 294 people aboard , including hundreds of high school students who were on a field trip . More than three months after the incident , divers are still searching for bodies , with 10 people missing . Yoo , through his representatives , vehemently denied any connection to the Chonghaejin Marine Company in late April . His defenders , including members of his religious group , maintained that Yoo , a businessman and religious figure , was made into a scapegoat for the tragedy . Much of the blame has fallen on Sewol 's operators who were accused of prioritizing profits over safety in an investigator 's interim report this month . The report found that Sewol had carried double the amount of cargo allowed and that the heavy load had not been properly secured . They also found that the vessel had been licensed on falsified documents . Manhunt . For months following the sinking , Yoo defied summons to report to the prosecutor 's office for questioning . Yoo was wanted for questioning with an investigation into alleged funds embezzlement , tax evasion and other irregularities that prosecutors say could have contributed to the sinking . Wanted posters including possible disguises for Yoo popped up . Even South Korea 's president , Park Geun-hye weighed in , accusing Yoo 's family of `` mocking the law and causing public rage . '' South Korea 's most wanted man . With nearly 8,000 police officers dispatched on the case , the inability to find the septuagenarian became another source of controversy . But the search ended Tuesday when police announced Yoo 's death . His body , they said , was next to an empty bottle of squalene ( a type of fish oil ) , three empty bottles of alcohol , reading glasses , and a handwritten book titled `` Dreamy Love . '' The man appeared to be wearing a jacket and his shoes were set next to him . The cause of death is still under investigation , said Woo Hyung-Ho , the police chief of Suncheon , the city where Yoo 's body had been found . Police could not determine when he had died . The body was decomposed . The location of the body was near his summer home in the southern end of Korea . Yoo 's history . Little was known about Yoo , who was called the `` millionaire without a face '' because of his reluctance to appear in public . Yoo was a religious figure of Gu Won Pa ( which translates to `` salvation group '' ) , also known as the Evangelical Baptist Church , which had been founded by his father-in-law . The church had decried the investigation into Yoo and the group as religious persecution . Its spokesman could not be reached for comment Tuesday . Yoo also branched into an artistic career , known by an alter ego called , Ahae , a photographer who won international acclaim . The firm representing Ahae Press also did not have any comment Tuesday . Yoo had four sons and daughters ; the whereabouts of three of the four are unknown . Yoo 's wife , Kwon Yun-Ja is under arrest in South Korea , according to Yonhap .
Yoo Byung-eun has been missing for months . A body found June 12 was tested and the DNA is a match , police say . Defenders said Yoo has been made a scapegoat for Sewol disaster .