Japanese man rented an apartment for 26 years where his wife was killed, to preserve evidence

Japanese man rented an apartment for 26 years where his wife was killed to preserve evidence.

As reported by BAKU.WS, according to South China Morning Post.

According to the media, the crime occurred on November 13, 1999. 39-year-old housewife Namiko Takaba was found dead at her home with several stab wounds to the neck. Her two-year-old son was found next to the body - the child was unharmed. Despite a large-scale investigation involving about 100,000 police officers and 5,000 people being questioned, the killer was not found at that time.

The only evidence was data suggesting the perpetrator could be a woman with blood type B, about 1.6 m tall with a foot size of 24 cm. The deceased's husband, Satoru Takaba, left the house untouched - with bloodstains and his wife's personal belongings. Over 26 years, he paid about $145,000 in rent, not wanting the crime scene to change. He also distributed flyers and appealed to the public for help with the investigation.

Last year, police reopened the investigation and focused on people connected to the family. On October 30, 69-year-old Kumiko Yasufuku voluntarily turned herself in to the police. The woman had once attended the same school as Satoru Takaba and had been in love with him.

DNA found at the crime scene matched her sample. Yasufuku confessed to the murder, adding that for many years she lived in fear and regret, but did not dare to surrender:

"I didn't want to cause trouble for my family. Every year on November 13, I felt anxiety and depression," she told the police.

According to Takaba, the news of the arrest came as a surprise to him.

"I never expected it would be her. I thought the killer had long left, but it turned out she had been living near our home all this time," he commented.