HIROSHIMA (TR) – A 34-year-old man wanted over the fatal stabbing of an elderly man in Hiroshima City last week is likely hiding out in Osaka Prefecture, investigative sources have revealed, reports Fuji News Network (Feb. 25).
According to the sources, a person at a convenience store in Osaka City tipped off Osaka Prefectural Police, saying that “a person resembling” Yukinobu Tomita was spotted on the premises at around 5:00 a.m. on Monday.
An examination of security camera footage showed a person believed to be Tomita. The person’s left thumb was covered by a bandage, which is consistent with the description of Tomita.
On Sunday, police released a portrait of Tomita, who is shown wearing glasses. He is wanted over the murder and robbery of 86-year-old Kazuhiro Uematsu, who was found bleeding from stab wounds to the head in front of the first-floor toilet of his residence by his wife on the morning of February 20.
After the crime, Tomita received nine stitches at the base of his left thumb at a hospital in Hiroshima City. The results of a DNA analysis of material left at the hospital proved to be a match for blood found at the crime scene, police said previously.
Uematsu shared the residence with his wife. It is believed that he was fatally stabbed by Tomita sometime between the night of February 19 and the time of the discovery. The suspect also stole the victim’s wallet.
Standing about 160 centimeters tall, Tomita has a medium build. A person resembling the suspect was also spotted in security camera footage at JR Fukuyama Station in Fukuyama City at around noon on February 22.
