TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of abandoning the corpse of his 25-year-old girlfriend in a mountainous region of Miyagi Prefecture, reports NHK (Oct. 5).
Takuya Miura, a self-employed bar owner residing in Nerima Ward, is accused of dumping the body of part-time worker Maho Muroga in the mountains of Kurihara City on September 28.
Upon his arrest, Miura denied the allegations, telling investigators, “I have no memory of it.”
The couple had been living together in a Nerima Ward apartment. The grim discovery unfolded after Muroga’s mother contacted the police on September 30, reporting that she had lost all contact with her daughter.
During the search for the missing woman, investigators analyzed security camera footage, which showed Miura driving a vehicle toward Miyagi Prefecture. A subsequent search of the area led police to Muroga’s body on the 4th.
According to police, the corpse showed no obvious external injuries, but a bag had been placed over the victim’s head and shoulders.
The couple had a volatile history well known to law enforcement. Between March and July of this year, police intervened in four separate incidents involving the pair, prompted by emergency calls from Miura and consultations sought by Muroga’s mother.
Police had previously separated the couple and conducted regular welfare checks over the phone. Just last month, on the 2nd, investigators referred Miura to prosecutors on suspicion of assault after he allegedly subjected Muroga to violence that resulted in a broken nose.
Investigators are now probing Miura’s involvement in the events leading to Muroga’s death.
Miura operated a bar in Nakano Ward. A female regular in her 20s expressed shock over the gruesome allegations.
“He was the owner, but he mostly ran the place by himself. I thought he was a kind guy who would listen to people’s complaints,” the customer said. “I can’t believe something like this happened, and I want to believe it’s a lie. I didn’t even know he had a girlfriend.”
