SHIZUOKA (TR) – Investigative sources with the Shizuoka Prefectural Police have revealed that two men under arrest in connection with a woman whose body was found in a forest in Fujieda City earlier this month likely met on the so-called “dark web,” reports NHK (June 14).
According to the sources, both suspects, aged in their 20s and 40s, have admitted to abducting Mayuko Uchiyama, a 29-year-old nurse from Hamamatsu City. They also said that they were not acquainted with the victim or one another prior to the crime.
The suspect in his 20s said during questioning that responded to message posted on a yami (underground) site. “I responded to an inquiry about a money-making opportunity,” he said. Police believe the site is where the suspects met one another.
At around 6:00 p.m. on June 9, a search team looking for Uchiyama found the body later confirmed to belong to her along a mountain road in the Setonoya area. The body, buried at a depth of around 20 centimeters, was completely covered with soil, police said previously.
The body did not exhibit any external wounds, police said at the time.
Personal belongings possibly belonging to Uchiyama, including a pair of eyeglasses, were found in the area. However, the mobile phone and wallet of the victim have not been found, police said.
Police have not disclosed if the cause of death has been determined.
Missing person
Uchiyama went missing on May 26. Three days later, her family lodged a missing persons report with police.
An examination of security camera footage showed Uchiyama being abducted into her own vehicle by several men at a parking lot of a gym in Hamamatsu on the night of May 26. The vehicle was later found in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture. The interior of the vehicle had not been ransacked, police said.
Based on an examination of data from the vehicle’s onboard navigational system, police began searching areas where it traveled.
On June 11, the suspect in his 40s surrendered to police. Several days before, police apprehended the other suspect.
The names of the suspects have not been revealed due to the fact that at least one other person is believed to have been involved in the incident, police said.
