TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 45-year-old woman for allegedly strangling her 8-year-old daughter to death inside their Toshima Ward apartment following a failed murder-suicide attempt, reports TV Asahi (May 2).
The suspect, whose occupation remains unknown, is accused of killing the third-grade elementary school student by strangulation on or around April 28.
According to police, the woman contacted emergency services herself after the crime. She told the emergency services dispatcher, “My child is unconscious. I attempted a murder-suicide using charcoal briquettes.”
Upon arriving at the apartment, paramedics discovered the young girl lying dead on her back on a bed. Burned charcoal briquettes were found inside the bathroom.
The mother was initially hospitalized for suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. She was officially taken into police custody on May 2 immediately following her discharge from the hospital.
During police questioning, the suspect, who lived alone with her daughter, admitted to the charges.
“After burning the charcoal, I strangled my daughter with my own hands,” she told investigators, citing a bleak motive for the killing. “My physical health was poor, I was struggling to make a living, and I was exhausted from raising a child.”
Police are continuing to investigate the detailed circumstances leading up to the tragic incident.
