KAGOSHIMA (TR) – Kagoshima Prefectural Police have revealed that skeletal remains found in a forest in Kagoshima City last month are that of a girl who went missing 13 years ago, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (Sept. 25).
On August 19, investigators working off a tip found the remains, the majority of which were buried, in the Yoshinocho area.
On Wednesday, police revealed that the results of a DNA analysis and an examination of dental records proved the body is that Nozomi Nozoe, a 17-year-old girl who went missing in April, 2006. The cause of death is not known.
Nozoe was a third-year high school student living in Shibushi City. After she disappeared, she sent several mails to members of her family to say she “is fine.”
Six days before the discovery, a laborer reported to police the discovery of at least one human bone about 15 meters away from the aforementioned site. Investigators then began searching the nearby area.
“We are wrapped in astonishment and sorrow,” a statement from the family provided by a lawyer read. “We want to watch over the police investigation.”
Police plan to launch a murder case.
