MIYAGI (TR) – Miyagi Prefectural Police have arrested a 48-year-old woman for allegedly setting fire to her parents’ home in Ishinomaki City over the weekend.
Both of the parents of Miwa Sasaki perished in the blaze, reports TV Asahi (Jan. 6).
At just after 9:30 p.m. on January 4, the fire department received a call. “A gas canister for a portable stove is burning outside,” the caller said.
The fire department arriving at the scene found the two-story wooden house engulfed in intense flames. It took approximately four hours to extinguish the fire, which burned the dwelling down.
According to police, the bodies believed to be those of Mamoru Sasaki, 85, and his wife, 80-year-old Keiko, were found inside.
Keiko’s was discovered in the living room on the first floor of the house. Meanwhile, Mamoru’s was found in a bedroom on the second floor. There were no signs of a struggle. The two deceased bore no visible external injuries.
Police later revealed that the cause of death of both parents was acute carbon monoxide poisoning due to smoke inhalation.
The next day, police accused Miwa Sasaki of arson. “I started the fire, but I didn’t intend to burn the house down,” Sasaki said in partially denying the allegations.
Lived nearby
The house where the parents of Miwa Sasaki lived is located approximately 30 minutes’ drive west of central Ishinomaki. She did not live with them; he home is about 30 meters away.
When police responded to the call at the time of the fire, they found Sasaki nearby. When they interviewed her, she reportedly admitted to the crime, leading to her arrest.
Police are now seeking a motive for the crime.
