KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 19-year-old man on suspicion of murder after the body of his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend was discovered dumped on a riverbed in Sagamihara City, reports Nippon News Network (June 12).
The suspect, a self-proclaimed house painter whose name has been withheld due to his age, has admitted to the allegations. He is accused of strangling high school senior Yura Sato to death in a vacant lot in Shimomizo, Minami Ward at around 9:50 p.m. on June 10.
Shortly after 10:00 p.m. on June 11, the teen was transferred into the custody of the Sagamihara Police Station as the investigation continues.
According to the prefectural police, Sato told her mother that evening on June 10 that she was going to meet her ex-boyfriend who had called her.
When she did not return home by nightfall, her mother called police at around 11:50 p.m. that day. Using the GPS function of her mobile phone, officers searched the area.
Concealed from public view
Sato’s body was discovered hidden in tall, overgrown grass beneath a bridge spanning a tributary of the Sagami River. While the site is located near a residential neighborhood by JR Shimomizo Station, the area beneath the bridge is highly secluded and completely concealed from public view.
Locals describe the grim discovery site as a desolate location. “It’s pitch black and dead silent at night,” one nearby resident said. “Nobody walks beneath that bridge. There’s nowhere to go down there.”
Those who knew Sato expressed deep shock over her tragic demise.
“She was in the girls’ tennis club in middle school, always smiling and incredibly kind,” a former classmate recalled. “She was a bit shy and quiet, but always greeted you with a smile. I am absolutely stunned.”
Meanwhile, a relative of the suspect told reporters on the night of the 11th that they were completely unaware of his relationship with the victim.
“I can’t say anything right now. I didn’t even know Sato,” the relative said. “But he always took his work reasonably seriously.”
Police are continuing to investigate the events leading up to the fatal strangulation and how the suspect managed to move his ex-girlfriend’s body to the secluded riverbed.
