OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police on Thursday arrested a 53-year-old man in Osaka City who is suspected of living with the corpse of his mother since late last year, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Apr. 9).
The man arrested on suspicion of abandoning a corpse is Tomohiro Mura, a 53-year-old unemployed man residing in Higashisumiyoshi Ward.
According to police questioning, Mura admitted to the charges. “It’s true that I didn’t report my mother’s death at home,” he said. “I wasn’t confident I could properly bury her.”
On Wednesday the Higashisumiyoshi Ward Office contacted police, stating that they could not contact Mura and his mother as a part of a welfare check.
Around noon the next day, police officers patrolling the area visited the apartment and Mura reportedly told them that his mother was dead in the back room.
Upon entering the room, the officers discovered the woman’s body, lying face up with her legs under a kotatsu (heated table) and covered with a blanket.
The suspect, Mura, stated that his mother died last November 27, indicating that some time had passed since her death.
Authorities are now conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death and to identify the body.
