Japanese police arrest woman and parents in beheading man in hotel in Hokkaido entertainment district

Global Courant

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese police said they have arrested a woman and her parents in a beheading case in a popular entertainment district in Japan’s northern city of Sapporo, where a decapitated man was found three weeks ago in a hotel room.

Hokkaido police in Japan’s northern main island said on Tuesday they had arrested Runa Tamura, 29, and her father Osamu Tamura, a 59-year-old psychiatrist, the day before on suspicion of conspiracy to behead the victim in a hotel room and move his severed head in the middle of the night between July 1 and July 2.

The head of the victim, 62-year-old Hitoshi Ura, has been missing ever since.

Police raided the suspects’ home on Tuesday and arrested the mother of the prime suspect, Hiroko Tamura, a 60-year-old part-time worker, on suspicion of colluding with her family in transporting and keeping the head at home.

Police did not say exactly how the daughter and father worked together. Police are still investigating the motive and would not say whether the woman and the victim knew each other.

The police also noted that Runa is a possible psychiatric patient. According to media reports, neighbors said she struggled to attend school and had been withdrawn since childhood.

Kyodo News and other media reported that the victim and another person, believed to be Runa Tamura, had checked into the hotel in the Susukino area known for its short-stay “love hotels.” About three hours later, only one of them was seen leaving with a large suitcase.

The person accompanying the victim wore light-colored women’s clothing and a wide-brimmed hat when he entered the hotel, but was dressed in black when he left, Kyodo said, citing anonymous investigative sources.

Ura’s body was discovered later on July 2 by a hotel employee who went to check the room because no one had checked out by noon. According to news reports, the worker found the victim slumped in a bathtub. None of his belongings had been left in the room and the bed appeared unused.

Japanese police arrest woman and parents in beheading man in hotel in Hokkaido entertainment district

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