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Murder of missing nurse in Nara: Bloodstains found in abandoned vehicle

NARA (TR) – Police investigating the murder of a nurse who went missing earlier this month have revealed that her vehicle was found just days before the discovery of her body in Nara City, reports Fuji News Network (July 27).

On July 23, police found the body of Junko Sasaoka, 56, lying face-up in a grove of trees in the Nakamachi area.

In the latest development, police said on Tuesday that her vehicle was found in a supermarket parking lot about 1.2 kilometers away from her home in Yamatokoriyama City three days before. Bloodstains were found inside the vehicle.

Junko Sasaoka (Twitter)

Based on the investigation to this point, police believe that someone dumped the body of Sasaoka in the trees after killing her at a different location.

Police also said that a person of interest is a man who was seen coming and going at Sasaoka’s residence, which is located about 5 kilometers from where her body was found.

Sasaoka was last seen when she commuted to a special home for the elderly in Osaka Prefecture on July 9.

Her sister reported her missing with the Koriyama Police Station on July 15. Police began searching for her the following day.