AICHI (TR) – Four days after the discovery of the bodies of two women inside a burned-out apartment in Handa City, Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a boyfriend of one of the victims, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 3).
On Wednesday, police found the bodies of Kimberly Akemy Amarilha Maruyama, a 27-year-old Brazilian national, and that of an unidentified woman, believed to be aged between 25 and 35, inside a third-floor unit of a government-run apartment building.
The results of autopsies conducted on the bodies revealed that both women died of suffocation. Police believe that the women had both been strangled before the unit was set ablaze.
An eyewitness said that the fire started at around 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday. Investigators found a gasoline can in the kitchen.
No license
The Peruvian, who was not named, was in a relationship with Maruyama. Police arrested him on charges of driving a vehicle without a valid license after he was found in Nagoya driving a station wagon used by Maruyama. It is believed that he has knowledge of the deaths and fire.
Since April, Maruyama, a part-time employee, had been living with her two children at the residence. Later on Wednesday, the two children were confirmed safe. The whereabouts of her sister, who was frequently seen at the residence, are currently unknown.
Police are now attempting to confirm the identity of the other body.
Update: The other body has been confirmed to be that of Maruyama’s 29-year-old sister, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Jan. 6).
