TOCHIGI (TR) – Tochigi Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation after an 86-year-old woman was found fatally strangled at her residence in Oyama City on Tuesday, reports TBS News (June 26).
At around 11:40 a.m., a male acquaintance of Tomoe Sugahara found her collapsed in the living room on the first floor of the residence, located in the Nishijonan area.
Sugahara, who lived alone, was later confirmed dead at the scene. The cause of death was suffocation due to pressure applied to the neck, which had injuries that could have been caused by a rope, police said.
Earlier that day, the same male acquaintance attempted to contact Sugahara by telephone. After not being able to reach her, he visited the residence and made the discovery.
The same acquaintance told police that he spoke to Sugahara on the telephone the day before.
