NIIGATA (TR) – The occupant of a residence in Kashiwazaki City where a decapitated corpse was found earlier this week has been located, police have revealed, reports TBS News (Oct. 22).
On Thursday morning, 48-year-old Kazuo Sato arrived at the Ikebukuro Police Station in Tokyo with an acquaintance. Police later accused him of abandoning a corpse.
The apartment is located about 2 kilometers from JR Kashiwazaki Station in Kashiwazaki.
On Monday, police entered the residence after learning from its management company that Sato had dropped out of contact.
Officers then found a portion of a human torso — with the head missing — and a right foot inside a storage case placed in a closet near the kitchen. Two days later, investigators found several other body parts in a different location of the residence.
Police previously said that the results of an autopsy indicated that the torso and foot belong to a man aged in his 40s to 50s. The man stood about 160 centimeters tall.
The man is believed to have died around six months ago. The cause of death is not known, police added.
“Under investigation
Rent payments for the apartment have been in arrears since March. Sato is suspected of leaving the corpse inside around March 12.
The owner of the unit said earlier this week that the management company called police after noticing a “foul smell” coming from inside.
Sato currently lives in the Kamiikebukuro area of Toshima Ward. He works in the construction industry, specializing in rebar work, according to NHK (Oct. 23).
The process of identifying the body is ongoing, but based on Sato’s statements it is believed to be one of his relatives.
Yoshimi Okamoto, the chief of the Niigata Prefectural Police, said, “[Sato] is refraining from commenting on the destruction of the corpse but he acknowledges abandonment.”
When asked by a reporter whether Sato has any relatives known to be missing, Okamoto declined to comment. “[The matter] is under investigation,” he said.
