SAITAMA (TR) – Following the discovery of the bodies of an elderly woman and her son in her residence in Tokorozawa City last week, police have arrested two men who are believed to have been involved in their deaths, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Feb. 12).
On the afternoon of February 8, Fumiko Irie, 76, and her son, 53-year-old Yoshitaka Osaki, were found collapsed in the bathroom of the residence by relatives. Police and fire personnel arriving at the residence confirmed both persons dead at the scene.
According to the Tokorozawa Police Station, the body of Irie did not exhibit external wounds. She was later confirmed to have died due to drowning.
The upper body of her son, a kindergarten bus driver, had received a number of stab wounds. He died due to internal organ damage, police said.
On Monday, police in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture arrested Yoshiaki Sakuma (53), who lived in the residence with Irie, and Ryuji Otani (42) on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. They have not commented on the allegations, police said.
At the time police arrived at the residence, Sakuma, who served as the woman’s nurse, was not present. Police subsequently launched a search for his whereabouts. No information was provided on Otani.
According to a previous report, Osaki regularly visited his mother to provide assistance. After making such a visit February 7, he did not arrive for work on the following day. His wife and the woman’s eldest son then visited the residence and made the grisly discovery.
Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Osaki and Irie.
