CHIBA (TR) – Chiba Prefectural Police said on Friday that an elderly woman found dead in her residence in Isumi City earlier this week was very likely murdered, reports NHK (Aug. 9).
At around 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, a security company staff member called the fire department to report that the woman was unconscious and not breathing at the residence in the Ozawa area after the sensor had not responded for a certain period of time.
When emergency personnel arrived, they found Shizuko Ishikami, 89, who lived alone in the home, collapsed face-up in a bedroom on the second floor. She was confirmed dead at the scene.
The security company staff member entered the residence to check on a sensor that had stopped responding. There were no signs of a struggle in the residence. Ishikami had a towel wrapped around her neck, police said.
After a detailed examination of the body, police concluded that Ishikami had died on the day of the discovery or the day before. The likely cause of death was asphyxiation caused by pressure on the neck.
Believing that Ishikami was strangled, police have launched a murder investigation.
The home is located in an area of rice fields and other farmland, about 500 meters south of Namihana Station on the JR Sotobo Line.
