IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police have launched an investigation following the discovery of a male corpse in a forest in Ryugasaki City, reports NHK (Jan. 27).
At around 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, a passerby alerted police after finding the body wrapped in a white cloth beneath some fallen tree branches and leaves in the Habaramachi area.
According to police, the body, later identified as belonging to Hideaki Yamada, a 29-year-old resident of Ryugasaki, had markings around the neck that indicated he had been strangled. He is believed to have died within a few days prior to the discovery.
Yamada’s mother had reported her son missing on January 23, according to Nippon News Network (Jan. 27).
Police are treating the case as the result of foul play.