OITA — Oita Prefectural Police have arrested a 58-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning the body of a missing teenage girl in a mountainous area, after he admitted to meeting her online and hinted at her murder, reports Sankei Shimbun (Apr. 13).
Tadafumi Himeno, a resident of Oita City, is accused of dumping the corpse of a local female in her late teens in the mountains of Bungo-Ono City in early March.
Himeno was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of abandoning a corpse on Monday.
According to police, the victim was last seen by her family at her home late on the night of March 2. Her mother filed a missing persons report two days later.
A subsequent investigation into the girl’s recent movements, including an analysis of security camera footage, led investigators to Himeno. Upon questioning, the suspect largely admitted to the allegations.
“We became acquainted on the internet and have met in person,” Himeno was quoted by police. He also told investigators, “I put the body in my car and transported it to the mountains,” and reportedly made statements suggesting he had killed her.
Acting on the suspect’s statements, officers searched the designated wooded area and discovered a body on Sunday afternoon.
Investigators are currently conducting a judicial autopsy to confirm the victim’s identity and determine the exact cause of death, while formally pursuing a murder investigation against Himeno.
