Hyogo Prefectural Police have placed a 42-year-old man on a nationwide wanted list in connection with the murders of a 74-year-old woman and her 52-year-old daughter at their home in Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture.
On Sunday night, police said they had obtained an arrest warrant for Kenji Oyama, whose address and occupation are unknown, on suspicion of murdering Chihiro Tanaka earlier this month, TV Asahi reported. He is also suspected of killing Chihiro’s mother Sumie Tanaka.
The victims were last seen alive on May 13.
Police said Monday that officers questioned Oyama, who was sleeping on a street in Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture, on the night of May 16. Oyama confessed to “killing someone,” but because his story was unclear, the officers were unable to determine if a crime had been committed and escorted him to the neighborhood where the victims lived. Police said he had no weapon on him and let him go because he didn’t tell them where the crime had been committed.
The victims were found stabbed to death on May 19. One woman was found near the entrance inside the two-story house, and the other in the hallway. Both women were stabbed multiple times in the chest and neck.
The bodies were found at around 9:30 a.m., after an acquaintance of Chihiro contacted a nearby police box, reporting that there was no contact with anyone in the house. When police officers arrived, the front door was unlocked.
According to police, Oyama was identified through the results of forensic analysis of seized evidence and security camera footage. The arrest warrant alleges that Oyama stabbed Chihiro. No weapon was found at the scene.
Items such as a wallet containing cash, a bankbook and smartphone, believed to belong to the two women, were found inside the house.
Oyama is described as being approximately 160 cm tall and slender. He has black hair, and security camera footage taken on May 17 showed him wearing a black hat and black-rimmed glasses, and toting a dark-colored shoulder bag, near the murder scene.
Police said they have learned that Oyama lived next to the victims’ house about 10 years ago but no trouble between them had been confirmed.
Tatsuno police ask that anyone with information on Oyama’s whereabouts call them at 0791-63-0110.
© Japan Today
