Investigators are seen at the suspects’ house in Asubetsu Ward, Sapporo, on July 24. - THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
TOKYO (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): A Japanese doctor and his daughter, who were arrested on Monday (July 24) after a decapitated corpse was found in a Sapporo hotel, had bought a suitcase and a saw before the killing took place, Japanese media reported quoting investigative sources.
The headless corpse is believed to be that of 62-year-old Hitoshi Ura. His body was found about three weeks ago in a hotel room in the Susukino entertainment district in Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido.
The police also suspect that a saw was used to behead the victim and a suitcase to transport the severed head, reported The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper.
A head which the police believes belongs to Ura was found at the suspects’ home in Sapporo’s Atsubetsu Ward.
The police also learnt of some trouble between Runa Tamura, one of the suspects arrested, and Ura. The authorities are considering this as a possible motive behind the crime.
Tamura, 29, and her father, Dr Osamu Tamura, a 59-year-old doctor, were arrested on suspicion of mutilation, possession and abandonment of a corpse, said The Mainichi news publication.
Tamura’s 60-year-old mother, Hiroko, was arrested the next day.
A source with ties to Dr Tamura’s workplace said that after the incident, he appeared for work at the hospital as if nothing unusual had happened. It was reported that Dr Tamura is the head of the psychiatry department that provides patients with mental healthcare.
The police are expected to seize work records and materials relevant to the investigations from his workplace, said The Yomiuri Shimbun.
