HOKKAIDO (TR) – Hokkaido Prefectural Police were tipped off about something amiss at a residence in Tomakomai City on Sunday prior to the discovery of a dead body inside, reports Sapporo Television Broadcasting (Sept. 7).
Police suspect that the body is that of the father of Hisako Hashimoto. “I could not report my father’s death since I am living off of his pension,” the 51-year-old said upon her arrest on suspicion of abandoning a corpse early Monday.
Hashimoto, of no known occupation, shares the residence, located in the Sumiyoshicho area, with her father, aged in his 70s.
On Sunday, a male neighbor observed that the suspect’s father had “not been seen recently.” He told the network, “There was a strange smell and some small insects [around the residence]. So I called the local authority in a hurry and they got a hold of the police.”
Officers arriving at the residence found the clothed body stretched out in a corridor between the entrance and living room. The body showed no signs of external wounds.
Police said on Wednesday the results of an autopsy revealed that the cause cause of death is not known. The person is believed to have died more than one month ago.
Police are working to confirm the identity of the body.
