NARA (TR) – Nara Prefectural Police launched a murder case after the body of a missing nurse was found in the mountains in Nara City last week, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (July 26).
At around 12:30 p.m. on July 23, police found the body lying face-up in a grove of trees in the Nakamachi area.
Police later used the results of a DNA analysis to confirm that the body of is that of 56-year-old Junko Sasaoka.
The body, which had turned partially skeletal, was clothed in a coat and jeans. Police did not reveal the body showed signs of external wounds.
Sasaoka lived in Yamatokoriyama City, about 5 kilometers from where her body was found. On July 8 and 9, she commuted to a special home for the elderly in Osaka Prefecture.
Her sister reported her missing with the Koriyama Police Station on July 15. Police began searching for her the following day.
Police are now examining security camera footage in search of clues in the case.