Hiroshima man arrested after woman’s body found in Fukui forest

Takashi Utsunomiya, a 49-year-old unemployed man from Hiroshima, has been arrested and referred to prosecutors on suspicion of confinement following the discovery of a woman’s body in a forest in Awara, Fukui Prefecture.

The victim, 26-year-old Saya Nakada of Nonoichi, Ishikawa Prefecture, was identified through autopsy and police investigation. An autopsy determined she died of acute suffocation, likely due to strangulation or smothering. Investigators believe she died shortly after being confined in a vehicle on October 30.

Utsunomiya reportedly admitted to killing Nakada and abandoning her body in the mountains. The two were believed to be in a relationship. Notably, Nakada had consulted the Ishikawa Prefectural Police in July regarding her desire to end the relationship, though no warnings were issued to Utsunomiya at that time. Police are continuing to investigate the case with potential murder and abandonment of a corpse charges.