CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police have arrested a 54-year-old woman on suspicion of strangling her 89-year-old mother to death, concluding an investigation that spanned more than two years, reports Nippon News Network (Aug. 10).
Hideko Ishigami was taken into custody on August 10 for allegedly murdering her mother, Shizuko, who lived alone in Isumi City. Upon her arrest, Hideko firmly denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I did not kill my mother.”
The investigation began after Shizuko was found dead in her bedroom in August 2024. Noting marks on the elderly woman’s neck that indicated she had been strangled, police established a special investigative headquarters to probe the case as a homicide.
Hideko, who lived about an hour’s drive from her mother’s home, emerged as a suspect following a lengthy investigation.
“By analyzing security cameras in the surrounding area and conducting a meticulous and careful investigation based on evidence from the scene, we were able to identify the suspect, leading to [the August 10] arrest,” the head of the Chiba Prefectural Police First Investigation Division stated.
The arrest has sent shockwaves through the local community, as residents believed the mother and daughter had a good relationship.
“She was a very caring, wonderful person. The last time I saw her, she brought me some blueberries,” one neighbor recalled.
Another resident noted that Shizuko frequently visited her daughter. “She told me, ‘I go to my daughter’s place often,’ and mentioned they were planning to go out to eat eel together. They seemed to get along well. She was really disappointed once when her daughter caught COVID-19 and couldn’t come pick her up.”
According to police, there were no prior consultations or reports indicating any domestic trouble between the two women. Authorities are continuing their interrogation to uncover a potential motive for the crime.
