FUKUSHIMA (TR) – Fukushima Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation following the discovery of a male corpse in a mountainous area of the town of Aizumisato last week, reports Kahoku Shimpo (Apr. 28).
At around 9:00 a.m. on April 26, a man picking wild plants found the body in a forest and alerted police. Officers arriving at the scene found the unclothed body partially buried with the head and at least one leg exposed.
Believed to be in his 30s or 40s, the man, of medium build and a height of around 170 centimeters, likely died within the last year. Part of a foot had turned skeletal, police said.
Regarding the cause of death, the man suffered a severe blow to the head that caused an injury to the brain. “It is believed significant force was behind the blow,” an investigator was quoted.
There were signs of injury to other parts of the body, police said.
There were no personal articles found at the scene that would assist in identifying the person, police said.
Police are also treating the case as abandoning a corpse.