24-06-2025
Police suspect murder after 98-yr-old woman found dead at home in central Japan
The Mie Prefectural Police first investigation division and Toba Police Station set up an investigative task force on June 23 after an elderly woman was found dead at her home in the prefectural city of Shima, suspecting murder.
According to the prefectural police, Teruko Tani, 98, was found in her pajamas on a futon facing up in a room near the entrance, her face covered in blood, by her 94-year-old brother at around 10 a.m. on June 20. He contacted the police via her primary physician. Tani lived alone, and there were no signs suggesting someone went through the house.
An autopsy found that Tani had marks on her head suggesting she had been struck, and had suffered fractures to both arms and her upper jaw.
An eyewitness reportedly saw Tani's relative, who is now hospitalized for her underlying conditions, leave the house after hearing what sounded like an argument at around 9 p.m. on June 19. Police believe that this relative may know the circumstances of Tani's death, and plan to question her after she recovers.
Tani's house is located in a residential area near a fishing port. A neighbor told the Mainichi Shimbun, "I saw her often hanging out the laundry and taking the trash out, but I haven't seen her at all this past week or so."
(Japanese original by Nene Haseyama, Tsu Bureau, and Tadayuki Otake, Ise Bureau)
