TOYAMA (TR) – Following the discovery of the corpses of two elderly persons in separate rivers at nearly the same time, Toyama Prefectural Police are investigating the circumstances behind both cases, reports NHK (Mar. 15).
At just before 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, a fireman found a man submerged in a small river adjoining a field in the Funahashi village of Nakaniikawa District.
The man, later identified as Katsuyuki Morikawa, 75, was confirmed dead at the scene, police said.
Two days before, Morikawa went missing after leaving his residence in the Tateyama area, located about 5 kilometers from where his body was later discovered. Police and fire personnel then began a search.
According to police, his body showed no signs of external wounds. The results of an autopsy will be used to determine the cause of death.
However, since Morikawa’s vehicle was found in the field near the river, police suspect that he fell into the water.
About 40 minutes after the discovery, a resident in the Shimomurakimachi area of Uozu City tipped off police about the body of a woman in the Kamogawa River, located about 20 kilometers from Funahashi.
After the family of Teruko Hoya, a 76-year-old resident of the Shinkanaya area of Uozu, reported her missing later that day, police concluded that the body is hers.
Much like with the case involvingMorikawa, the cause of death is under investigation.
