TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 59-year-old woman for leaving the corpse of her father in the residence they shared in Itabashi Ward, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 7).
On April 7, police arrested Toshiko Naoe, of no known occupation, after the body likely that of her father, aged in his 90s, was found atop a bed in a first-floor room of the residence, located in the Nakadai area.
Naoe, who has been accused of abandoning a corpse, admits to the allegations. “I was living off my father’s pension,” the suspect told the Shimura Police Station. “I did not have money for a funeral, and I thought that the pension payments would be stopped, meaning I couldn’t live.”
According to police, the body did not exhibit any external injuries. The suspect said that he died late in March. However, based on the state of the body, police suspect he has been dead for two months. An autopsy will be conducted to confirm the cause of death and identity of the body.
On April 6, the suspect told a friend about the death of her father, saying that she was concerned that she had covered up his passing. After the acquaintance alerted police, officers visited the residence.
Police plan to investigate the suspect on suspicion of fraud over the collection of her father’s pension.
