The TMPD clearly aren’t too fussed about the sand, as evidenced by your excellent podcast. Ofcourse, they might still have it in consideration, but they are more willing to chase random Korean workers who aren’t on any records. In the hierarchy of things, its fair to assume they aren’t getting much from the sand in their current mode of investigation.
RSBM: I appreciate you saying that about the podcast. And you're welcome to your inferences about it, of course. But respectfully, they are incorrect. Having been in those conversations, I think it's important to be very clear. My interviews went on for long stretches. Every single question I had was answered. To be fair, I experienced a great deal of openness. Now, that said: there was only one single topic I was dodged on. The sand. On this, a few things were admitted, some of which I've shared in this thread. A few I've had to keep back. But when I asked, "so it's still entirely possible the killer was in the US or is from the US?" the answer was yes. There was even awkward laughter that followed. So, I will reiterate;
not one single good reason was ever given for why the sand and, by extension, the US was never investigated.
Now, you can assume they are not fussed. But being in that room, that was not my reading. I think there is an entirely different reason for why they do not pursue that sand, one which I have been open about many times in this thread and am frankly sick of repeating. I may well be wildly wrong. There may be a totally different reason. If so, I don't know it.
You are right about the sand being on the killer and the statue not. But the sand has atleast been geographically identified, whereas the statue has not. Its a 20 kg granite statue, presumably costing a decent amout, and yet its totally unaccounted for. The TMPD can trace the origin of most of the killer’s clothing, but not this statue.
How is a random local Japanese guy getting their hands on this statue? If its from a local retailer, surely the TMPd could have traced that by now. If it was imported by the general public, there must be customs records.
Not to mention carrying it and placing in, presumably in the night (as there are no witnesses) again doesnt seem to scream innocence either.
Dumping / littering is extremely frowned on in Japan. For anyone who's ever lived there or spent time there, they'll know how hard it easy to dispose of unwanted items. Maybe the statue is connected to the killer, I don't say that it's not. Just that there isn't anything obvious that says so.
And yes, Rei was 6. But then again, Niina was 8. Where's her statue? Why only for the boy? Why leave it across the river? For what purpose? How do we know it wasn't for another child who died in the area of an illness? Now, you used the word
innocence. But that implies we have anything solid to link it to some kind of
wrong. And we just don't have that. We don't know that it wasn't simply someone leaving it behind because they no longer wanted it. We don't know that it wasn't an elderly local who had it left there and missed the TMPD appeals on it.
That is his offical position. I find it unlikely that that is his department’s real working opinion. They have spent hours and hours on this case. They are chasing random Korean workers. That could be covering their bases but more likely They definitely have a profile in their mind, likely a foreigner, but offourse they don’t want to say it out loud for legal/ethical reasons.
Which random Korean workers are they chasing? I would like to know where you are finding that information. To my knowledge, they have been to Korea to chase up on the shoes and they have asked the authorities there to run the killer's fingerprints against their national database. That's it.
I'll be the first one to acknowledge / criticise Japanese LE. But when you say that they 'definitely have a profile in mind, likely a foreigner', I'd like to know what you're basing that on. Because as far as I know, they ONLY men that they have questioned have been Japanese. (Men with hand injuries in the days after the murders, and many, many skateboarders).
The back of house? It seems like a shorter route to a major road. Just my assumption
There are many, many routes in and out of that park. You could face in any direction and find a route out. I've walked them all, I've walked up and down that river. We don't know which route he took on any level, much less to a major road. We don't even know he left on foot.
In any ways, its a major coincidence that the killer entered and exited the house relatively unnoticed and 3 full months later, someone again manages to do the same, this time around with a 20kg statue.
I appreciate your ideas as ever but I disagree that it is a
major coincidence. To my mind, it's unrelated until there is something that suggests a direct relation. JMO
