TOCHIGI (TR) – Police in Oyama City are investigating an apparent murder-suicide attempt after a 48-year-old woman was found strangled to death and her former husband was discovered bleeding and unconscious in their apartment, reports TV Asahi (May 29).
At approximately noon on May 28, officers entered the residence and found the occupant, Maiko Tadokoro, lying dead on her back in the living room. In the bedroom, her ex-husband, a man in his 50s who still lived with her, was found collapsed and unconscious, bleeding heavily from a wound on his left arm.
An autopsy later confirmed that Tadokoro died of asphyxiation due to strangulation.
During a search of the premises, investigators discovered a blood-stained kitchen knife in the bathroom. A trail of blood led from the bathroom directly into the bedroom where the man was found.
Because the front door of the apartment was locked at the time of discovery, police have largely ruled out the involvement of a third party. Investigators believe the ex-husband strangled Tadokoro to death before using the knife to attempt to take his own life.
The man was transported to a local hospital for his injuries. According to police, he has since regained consciousness and the case is being actively investigated as a murder.
