German University Student Missing Since Last Month Found Dead Off the Coast of Wakayama

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:11 JST, November 6, 2024

WAKAYAMA – A German university student who had been missing since last month was found dead off the coast of Wakayama, Wakayama prefectural police said Tuesday.

Severe damage to the body made it difficult to determine the cause of death. Prefectural police are investigating and currently consider accidental death, homicide and suicide all to be possibilities.

According to the prefectural police, the body was found drifting offshore near the Takurazaki area of Wakayama at around 2:50 p.m. on Friday, and the Wakayama Coast Guard subsequently identified the body as that of the missing 21-year-old male student through DNA analysis.

The student came to Japan on Sept. 21 and stayed in Wakayama from Sept. 30 to Oct. 10. His mother became unable to contact him after exchanging messages on social media on Oct. 10 and he was declared missing.

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