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Hokkaido cops: Woman left husband’s corpse in home for 1 year

Outside the home in Muroran
Outside the home in Muroran

HOKKAIDO (TR) – Hokkaido Prefectural Police have arrested a 69-year-old woman for dumping the body of her husband inside their home in Muroran City, reports Nikkan Sports (Jan. 31).

Earlier this month, police discovered the mummified remains of Hidekatsu Yamaguchi inside a bedroom of the residence, located in the Bokoi Minamimachi area.

Police subsequently arrested Yuko Yamaguchi on charges of abandoning a corpse. She said her husband died in February of last year, when he was 70 years old.

“I lost my head, and I delayed reporting the death,” the suspect is quoted by police. “So I just left him.”

On January 2, the couple’s oldest daughter visited the home and asked to see her father. After the suspect indicated that he had died and his corpse was in a bedroom, the daughter notified police.

The results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be a subdural hematoma.

Police have also determined that the suspect has been receiving her husband’s pension payments since his death. Investigators are now attempting to determine if the payments were a motive in the crime.