KYOTO — Police confirmed Tuesday that a body discovered in a mountainous area of Kyoto Prefecture is that of 11-year-old Yuki Adachi, a boy who had been missing for three weeks, reports the Kyoto Shimbun (Apr. 15).
According to investigators, Kyoto Prefectural Police believe the circumstances of the body’s discovery suggest a possible case of abandoning a corpse and have decided to launch a full-scale investigation.
The boy’s body was found lying face-up and exposed to the elements in a forest about two kilometers southwest of Sonobe Elementary School in Nantan City at around 4:45 p.m. on Monday, police said.
The results of an autopsy conducted on Tuesday did not include the exact cause of death. Investigators estimate he died in late March. No obvious stab wounds or major signs of external trauma were found on the body.
Father dropped him off at school on March 23
Adachi, a sixth-grade student, disappeared on the morning of March 23 after his father dropped him off near his school.
The unnatural circumstances surrounding the discovery have led authorities to strongly suspect foul play, and police are preparing a full-scale investigation into a potential corpse abandonment case. The boy was found wearing a navy fleece, beige trousers, and a sweatshirt with the number “84” printed on it — directly matching the clothing he was last seen in. However, he was found wearing socks with no shoes, and his body showed no signs of being hidden or buried.
Distant lcoations
Further raising suspicions, Adachi’s belongings were previously discovered scattered across separate, distant locations. His yellow school backpack was found abandoned on a mountain pass approximately three kilometers from his school on March 29, and his shoes were located in yet another area on April 12. Both items were discovered several kilometers away from the forest where his body was ultimately found.
While police have stated they cannot definitively rule out an accident at this stage, the bizarre scattering of his belongings and the condition in which he was found have prompted a comprehensive criminal investigation to determine how the boy met his death.
