EXCLUSIVE: Dashcam Footage Deleted in Kyoto Boy Body Disposal Case

Nantan, Kyoto Pref., April 17 (Jiji Press)–Dashboard camera footage from a car driven by a father arrested over the alleged abandonment of his son’s body in the western Japan prefecture of Kyoto was partially deleted, investigative sources told Jiji Press Friday. Portions of the footage from March 23, the day 11-year-old Yuki Adachi, an elementary school student from the city of Nantan, went missing, had been erased, according to the sources. The Kyoto prefectural police believe the 37-year-old suspect, Yuki Adachi, may have deleted the footage to conceal his movements. The suspect and the victim share the same romanized name, although their names differ in writing and pronunciation in Japanese. The police said the suspect told investigators he had dropped his son off near Sonobe Elementary School, the victim’s school, around 8 a.m. on March 23, after which the boy’s whereabouts became unknown. Analysis of remaining recordings showed that the father drove to a location near the school on March 23, the sources said. But the boy’s presence in the vehicle could not be confirmed, and the school’s security cameras did not capture him. The investigators have confirmed that the boy was alive until the morning of March 23. His body was found on Monday in a forest area about 2 kilometers southwest of the school. While the cause of death has not been determined, he is believed to have died in late March. No visible external injuries were found. The suspect has admitted to abandoning the body and has also made statements acknowledging involvement in the killing of his son, the sources said. He is believed to have moved the body multiple times within the city. The victim’s school backpack was found in a mountain area about 3 kilometers west of the school, and sneakers thought to be his were found in a different mountain area about 6 kilometers to the southwest of the school. The Kyoto prefectural police have set up a 37-member investigation task force to trace the suspect’s movements and establish a motive. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]