SHIGA (TR) – Shiga Prefectural Police have arrested a 50-year-old man in Otsu City following the discovery of two corpses on his property. Police believe the bodies are those of the suspect’s parents, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Dec. 11).
According to police, the two bodies were found buried close to each other in a hole dug in the garden of the home of Kazuya Hashino, of no known occupation.
Hashino lives with his father, 78, and his 73-year-old mother. Since police have been unable to contact them, they are considering the possibility that the bodies may belong to them.
The bodies are nearly skeletal. The persons are believed to have been dead for at least several years. The results of autopsies will be conducted to determine the cause and time of death of both persons.
On Thursday afternoon, police sent Hashino to the Otsu District Public Prosecutors Office on the same charge. Police did not reveal whether Hoshino admits to allegations of abandoning a corpse.
“Lives in a nice house”
The incident emerged on December 2, when a representative of the Otsu City Hall contacted the Otsu Police Station. “We don’t know where [Hashino’s] parents are,” the caller said.
A search of Hashino’s home began on Wednesday morning. The bodies was reportedly found in the garden at around 7:30 p.m.
The scene of the crime is in a residential area about 3 kilometers southeast of Keihan Ishiyama-dera Station.
An 83-year-old man who lives nearby said he saw Hashino about five days ago. “He always goes out on his scooter-like bike. I’ve never really spoken to him, so I don’t know what kind of person he is. I have the impression that he lives in a nice house. I don’t know how this happened, and it’s scary,” he said.
