AICHI (TR) – Aichi Prefectural Police have arrested a woman a 69-year-old woman in the murder of housewife Namiko Takaba in Nagoya in 1999, reports CBC TV (Oct. 31).
The arrest of Kumiko Yasufuku on suspicion of murder on Friday was welcomed by Takaba’s husband, who fought to keep the unsolved case in the spotlight for nearly three decades.
On November 13, 1999, Namiko Takaba, 32, was fatally stabbed at her residence in Nishi Ward. An examination of her body showed wounds to the arms and neck. Her two-year-old son was unharmed in the incident.
Takaba’s husband, Satoru, continued to rent the apartment where the murder occurred in an effort to keep the case alive.
Yasufuku is a part-time worker from Minato Ward, Nagoya. She turned herself in alone on Thursday. Her arrest followed an analysis of her DNA, which proved to be a match for bloodstains left at the scene.
When questioned by police, Yasufuku has admitted to the charges. “That’s correct,” she said.
Investigative sources said Yasufuku was a high school classmate of Takaba. However, he has no recollection of her.
In an interview with CBC TV, Satoru commented regarding the arrest, “I’m just so relieved.”
