TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police are hunting for a man after a 32-year-old woman was fatally stabbed at her residence in an apartment building in Suginami Ward on Tuesday, reports Jiji Press (Mar. 27).
At just past noon, officers arriving at the second-floor residence, located in the Shimoigusa area, found Tsugumi Terui, a nurse, collapsed on the floor near the balcony with stab wounds to the back.
Terui was later confirmed dead at a hospital, according to the Ogikubo Police Station.
A blood-stained knife was found near Terui. The front door was unlocked, and there were signs of a struggle, including knocked over furniture. There were also marks on the floor indicating that shoes had been worn inside, police said.
A witness told police that a man wearing a long black coat quickly fled from the building at around the time the crime is believed to have taken place. Standing up to 165 centimeters tall, he is believed to be aged between 30 and 35, police said.
Police suspect Terui was attacked after she returned home from purchasing curry at a store about 30 minutes before the incident. It is believed the culprit gained access to the residence by smashing a window on the balcony.
The landlord of the unit lives next door. After he heard Terui scream, he told a mailman to call police.
