TOKYO (TR) – Monday marked the 24th anniversary of the murders of four members of a family at their residence in Setagaya Ward.
Thus far, Tokyo Metropolitan Police have not arrested a suspect. Dissatisfied with the progress, the bereaved family is calling for the establishment of a law that will allow DNA information to be used to reveal characteristics of a target, reports the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 30).
On December 31, 2000, Mikio Miyazawa, 44, his wife, 41-year-old Yasuko, and their two children — 8-year-old daughter Niina and 6-year-old son Rei — were found dead inside their residence in the Kamisoshigaya area.
The murder is believed to have taken place the night before. The blood of the culprit, a man, was left at the scene. His DNA type was later identified. While DNA research is progressing, the current investigation is limited to DNA-type matching.
In the Setagaya family murder case, the investigation headquarters asked experts to analyze the murderer’s DNA around 2006. It was estimated that he was of Asian descent, such as Japanese or Korean, on the father’s side. For his mother, he is of Southern European descent, perhaps around the Mediterranean area.
“We can get closer to the murderer”
Obviously, the above is not conclusive enough to narrow down a suspect. Takeshi Tsuchida is a special advisor to Sora no Kai, a group of bereaved family members of murder victims. He believes there is another way.
“If we can extract genetic information from DNA, rather than just identifying individuals, we can get closer to the murderer,” says Tsuchida, who is also the former chief of the local Seijo Police Station.
The focus of Tsuchida is on the use of DNA information. In the United States, there have been cases where a sketch of a criminal was made from DNA information left at the scene, leading to the arrest of the criminal.
It is becoming possible to read ethnic origins, physical characteristics and even appearance from DNA information. Tsuchida says, “It can be used to narrow down the target of investigations.”
However, there are concerns about protecting personal information and problems with accuracy, making this approach difficult to realize.
The National Police Agency stores in a database the DNA of suspects, those who died under unusual circumstances and that obtained at crime scenes.
There is no law that regulates investigations using DNA. Operations are based on internal police regulations such as the National Public Safety Commission regulations. The use of DNA information in investigations is limited to individual identification, such as matching the DNA type of the criminal or victim with the DNA type left at the scene.
Sora no Kai has submitted a petition to the government calling for the establishment of laws regarding usage of DNA information. Tsuchida appeals, “When we think of the voiceless victims, if there is a way to get closer to the criminal, we should do it.”
The sweatshirt
On Monday morning, Tsuchida and other related parties visited the Miyazawa family grave in Niiza City, Saitama Prefecture to pray for the resolution of the case, reports NHK (Dec. 30).
Mikio’s mother, Setsuko, who had always visited the grave on the anniversary of the murders, turned 93 this year and was unable to attend for the first time due to ill health.
Tsuchida said, “It was the first time that Setsuko had not been able to visit her grave, and she said she felt disappointed. Setsuko is increasingly hoping that the case be solved as soon as possible while she is still alive.”
According to police, the perpetrator had type A blood. As well, only 130 sweatshirts of the type found at the scene — and believed to have belonged to the perpetrator — were sold at the time.
Police are calling on people to look back at videos and photos taken in 2000 to see if there is anyone wearing the same sweatshirt.
Last month, the National Police Agency announced the extension of an award of 3 million yen for information leading to the arrest of the murderer in the case. Along with the 17 million yen offered from a private organization, the total reward on offer is 20 million yen.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police continue to call for information. Persons with information on the case are advised to call the Seijo Police Station at 03-3482-0110.
