YAMAGUCHI (TR) – Yamaguchi Prefectural Police have launched a murder investigation after an 80-year-old traditional Japanese sweets shop owner was found beaten to death and his wife severely injured inside their home and business in Mine City, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (Aug. 30).
The bloody scene was discovered at around 5:55 p.m. on August 28 at Saito Seika in the city’s Isa area. The couple’s eldest son went to check on the residence after noticing that delivered newspapers had been left uncollected outside.
Upon entering, he found his father, Kazumasa Saito, and his mother, who is in her 70s, collapsed and bleeding from their heads. He immediately dialed police.
Saito was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife sustained severe head trauma, including a fractured skull, but her injuries are not considered life-threatening.
An autopsy conducted on Sunday revealed that Saito died of hemorrhagic shock. He had sustained multiple wounds to the head, indicating he was repeatedly struck with a blunt object.
Yamaguchi Prefectural Police have mobilized a 100-officer task force to track down the killer. Investigators have yet to locate the murder weapon.
