KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 66-year-old woman over the alleged fatal assault of her mother-in-law at their residence in Kamakura City, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 31).
At around 11:00 a.m. on June 16, Junko Sugiyama allegedly used a cylindrical object to beat her mother-in-law, 92-year-old Hisae, at the residence, located in the Iwase area.
Sugiyama telephoned emergency services at around 4:20 p.m. that same day. “The mother of the head of the household is not moving,” she reportedly said.
Emergency personnel found Hisae collapsed in the kitchen. Less than one hour later, she was confirmed dead at a hospital as a result of external trauma, police said.
Police also said that an examination of the body of Hisae revealed bruises in several locations of her body.
Sugiyama, who has been accused of manslaughter, admits to the allegations, police said.
In 2015, Hisae began living in a senior citizens’ home. At the time of the incident, she was visiting.
The suspect’s husband also lives in the residence. But due to an illness he is generally confined to the second floor and was unaware of the incident.
Police are now investigating the circumstances that led to the incident.
