85-year-old Woman Found Dead in Fukushima Pref.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:19 JST, February 5, 2023

An 85-year-old woman, who was found collapsed and bleeding by her eldest son at her house in Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, was confirmed dead Friday night by paramedics who arrived after responding to a 119 call.

Yasuko Komatsu was found to have numerous head wounds, indicating she had been beaten with a weapon of some kind, and there were signs that both the first and second floors of the house had been ransacked.

The prefectural police are investigating the case as a robbery-homicide.

According to the police, Komatsu lived alone. Her eldest son, 58, who became concerned when he could not reach her by phone, arrived at her home around 7 p.m. on Friday and found her lying in the hallway near the first-floor entrance. The front and side doors of the house were unlocked.

An autopsy confirmed the skull was fractured and declared the cause of death to be head trauma.

Last month in Iwaki, Mitsuo Negishi, 77, was murdered at his house about seven kilometers north of Komatsu’s house, but no suspect has been arrested. Negishi was found dead in his bedroom on Jan. 15 by a family member who lived with him. The cause of death was asphyxiation caused by compression of the neck, and there were bruises on his face and head.