Police Obtain Arrest Warrant for Man in Hyogo Murder Case

Kobe, May 24 (Jiji Press)–Police on Sunday obtained an arrest warrant for a 42-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of murdering one of the two victims in a suspected murder case at a house in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, investigative sources said. The man’s whereabouts are unknown, a situation prompting the Hyogo prefectural police department to launch an open investigation into the case in which a mother, 74, and her daughter, 52, were found bleeding in the house Tuesday, with multiple stab wounds on their necks and other parts of their bodies. The mother and the daughter are believed to have died around May 13. The cause of death was determined to be blood loss for the mother, Sumie Tanaka, and hemorrhagic shock for the daughter, Chihiro. It has been confirmed that Chihiro returned home from an outing on the evening of May 13, and it is believed she was killed after that. According to investigative sources, there were no signs of vandalism in the house, and smartphones and wallets containing cash were left in the room. A knife believed to be the murder weapon has not been found. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]