TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police believe that a 53-year-old woman apprehended in connection with a corpse found inside a vehicle parked in Kita Ward earlier this week lived with the body for several months, reports NHK (June 6).
On Wednesday, police arrested Kimie Watanabe, a part-time employee, on suspicion of abandoning a corpse. The suspect is the owner of the white van, parked in a coin-operated lot near JR Kita-Akabane Station, that was found to contain the corpse at around 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
During voluntary questioning, Watanabe said the body is that of a male acquaintance who died in December. Police believe that the suspect was living with the corpse inside the passenger seat since the death of the person.
“I didn’t abandon the corpse,” the suspect was quoted by police in denying the allegations after her arrest.
On Tuesday, police arriving at the scene found the partially mummified remains in the passenger seat beneath a futon. Based on an examination, the person is believed to have died several months before the discovery, according to police.
The vehicle arrived at the lot on June 2. The windshield and passenger window were covered by sunshades, police said.
Police are now seeking to confirm the identity of the body.
