citizen_sleuth
Verified family member - Orie Donald Esh thread
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I've spent the past few days reading through all of the threads and mulling over a lot of the questions that have popped up for me, but first I wanted to write up a quick summary of the known/confirmed facts of the case before delving into my thoughts. I'll make a separate post with my opinions because I don't want to muddy the waters by combining facts with opinions. Much of the information below is derived from Faceless' posts over the years, which are a wealth of information - massive kudos to you, Nic!
I've tried to organize the information thematically as I figured it would be the most logical as this case is quite complex -- apologies if I've missed anything!
Timeline of Events
- The family received a phone call around 9 or 10 p.m. on the night of the murders (source)
- Mikio opened a password-protected work email at 10:38 p.m. (source)
- TMPD believe Rei was killed first (source) as there were no bloodstains on him (source). Rei was also the only victim who was strangled. (source)
- An Irie and her family claim that they only heard a single banging noise/thud at 11 p.m. (also said to have been between 11-11:30 p.m. elsewhere in the thread by Faceless - source) on the night of the murders (source). Faceless says that it may have been the 13-year-old son who reported hearing the 'banging sound' to the police (source)
- The killer used the computer for 5 minutes -- from 1:18 a.m. to 1:23 a.m. (source). Mikio's email was password-protected, but the computer itself was not. The only thing the killer is known to have done on the computer is create a folder (source)
- According to the Chief, the computer activation at 10:00 a.m. was due to Haruko brushing up against the mouse when she entered the house (source)
- Haruko, Yasuko's mother, discovers the bodies at 10 a.m. the following morning and police are called at 10:50 a.m. (source)
Information About the Scene
- The killer's sweatshirt, hat, scarf, handkerchiefs, and hip bag were left in the front room of the house (source)
- The killer's gloves and his (broken) sashimi knife were left in the kitchen sink (source)
- The killer's jacket was left over Yasuko's body in the hall (source)
- The phone line was not cut, according to the Chief (source)
- There were broken twigs and footprints in the mud near the rear wall of the house (source)
- Documents, items from Yasuko's purse, Mikio's wallet, and house keys were thrown in the toilet and defecated on (source)
- More documents along with a bloody towel were found in the bathtub (source)
- The killer ate 4 cups of ice cream without a spoon and drank barley tea (source)
- The window screen in the bathroom was removed and the bathroom window was likely found open (source)
Known Information About the Perpetrator
- The killer has Type A blood (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was around 5'6" to 5'7" (source)
- The killer ate string beans and sesame seeds before the murder (source)
- DNA tests revealed the killer is possibly of mixed race (source)
- TMPD believe the killer had a slim build with a 70-75 cm waist (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was likely right-handed (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was between 15 and 24 years old at the time of the murders and was "living a student lifestyle" (source)
Perpetrator's Clothes (Arriving)
- Black "Air Tech" "UNIQLO" jacket, size large (source)
- Light gray "Marufuru Corporation (M/X)" sweatshirt with light purple sleeves, size large. These sweatshirts were sold between August 2000 and December 2000 and a total of 130 pieces were sold at 41 stores in 14 different prefectures. The price ranged between 1,480 yen to 1,900 yen. (source)
- Black "EDWIN" gloves, measuring 26 cm in size. Between 1998 and 2000, 10,755 pairs of gloves were manufactured and were sold for around 1,980 yen. The primary retailers of these gloves were JEANS MATE and Marufuru (M/X). (source)
- "Slazenger" athletic shoes (source) size 27 cm or 27.5 -- detectives were split about the size. Size 27.5 was not available for sale in Japan while size 27 was. (source)
- Gray knitted wool bucket hat with black trim. 3,465 hats of this kind were sold in Japan between July 1998 and November 2000 and were sold for around 1,900 yen. TMPD believe that based on the tag, the killer's hat was purchased after September 21, 1999. The hat was sold by Marufuru Corporation (M/X), Unique Co., Ltd., and Daisan Black Co., Ltd. in the Kanto region. (source)
- Plaid scarf of unknown manufacture as there was no tag (source)
- 2 solid black "MUJI" handkerchiefs. Between 1995 and 2000, a total of 66,500 of these black handkerchiefs were manufactured and sold for 300 yen a piece. 59,000 of these were manufactured between 1998 and 2000. (source)
- Hip bag with a belt/strap length of 83 cm. 2,850 of these bags were made by a manufacturer in Osaka and the bags were were sold for 2,900 yen at discount stores in the Kanto region from September 1995 through January 1999. One handkerchief had an approximately 3-cm cut in the center, which police believe indicates the killer used the handkerchief to wrap around the knife handle. The other handkerchief was folded into a triangle, and police say it is possible the killer used it as a mask. (source)
- "Seki Magoroku, Ginju" sashimi knife, manufactured in Fukui Prefecture in June 2000. A total of 1,500 of these knives were manufactured and they were sold for around 3,500 yen each in 46 stores in Kanto region. (source)
- Traces of "DRAKKAR NOIR" perfume, manufactured in France by Guy Laroche, were found on the handkerchiefs and the hip bag. DRAKKAR NOIR has been sold in Japan since 1982 and a 30ml bottle retailed for 3,000 yen in Japan. (source)
Items Stolen From the House
- Mikio's sweatshirt, which said "DIVE" on the front and had the English alphabet on the back (source)
- Money, although the killer left behind more money than he took (source)
TMPD Investigation
- TMPD ran the killer's prints through South Korea's national database which contains the fingerprints of all adults in the country and found no matches (source)
- Immediately after the murders, TMPD checked all border entry/exit points for individuals matching the killer's profile (source)
- An Irie and her family were ruled out as suspects by TMPD (source)
- The killer's fingerprints are in the Interpol database, according to the Chief (source)
- According to the Chief, only the killer's DNA was found on the hip bag (source)
- TMPD found no traces of drugs or alcohol in the killer's blood (source)
- TMPD conducted detailed sound experiments in the house (source)
- The police have not conclusively determined how the killer entered the house (source)
- Former TMPD Chief told Faceless that the killer's gloves (Faceless emphasizes that it was gloves - plural) were in bad shape (source)
- TMPD has officially said nothing about the sand found in the killer's bag and the Chief dodged Faceless' questions about the sand (source)
- The 'Kuromatsu' poster on 2chan who was active before and after the murders has been 'eliminated' as a suspect, according to the Chief (source)
- In 2021, police revealed that the man seen purchasing the sashimi knife on CCTV near JR Kichijoji Station the day before the murders was ruled out as a suspect (source)
I've tried to organize the information thematically as I figured it would be the most logical as this case is quite complex -- apologies if I've missed anything!
Timeline of Events
- The family received a phone call around 9 or 10 p.m. on the night of the murders (source)
- Mikio opened a password-protected work email at 10:38 p.m. (source)
- TMPD believe Rei was killed first (source) as there were no bloodstains on him (source). Rei was also the only victim who was strangled. (source)
- An Irie and her family claim that they only heard a single banging noise/thud at 11 p.m. (also said to have been between 11-11:30 p.m. elsewhere in the thread by Faceless - source) on the night of the murders (source). Faceless says that it may have been the 13-year-old son who reported hearing the 'banging sound' to the police (source)
- The killer used the computer for 5 minutes -- from 1:18 a.m. to 1:23 a.m. (source). Mikio's email was password-protected, but the computer itself was not. The only thing the killer is known to have done on the computer is create a folder (source)
- According to the Chief, the computer activation at 10:00 a.m. was due to Haruko brushing up against the mouse when she entered the house (source)
- Haruko, Yasuko's mother, discovers the bodies at 10 a.m. the following morning and police are called at 10:50 a.m. (source)
Information About the Scene
- The killer's sweatshirt, hat, scarf, handkerchiefs, and hip bag were left in the front room of the house (source)
- The killer's gloves and his (broken) sashimi knife were left in the kitchen sink (source)
- The killer's jacket was left over Yasuko's body in the hall (source)
- The phone line was not cut, according to the Chief (source)
- There were broken twigs and footprints in the mud near the rear wall of the house (source)
- Documents, items from Yasuko's purse, Mikio's wallet, and house keys were thrown in the toilet and defecated on (source)
- More documents along with a bloody towel were found in the bathtub (source)
- The killer ate 4 cups of ice cream without a spoon and drank barley tea (source)
- The window screen in the bathroom was removed and the bathroom window was likely found open (source)
Known Information About the Perpetrator
- The killer has Type A blood (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was around 5'6" to 5'7" (source)
- The killer ate string beans and sesame seeds before the murder (source)
- DNA tests revealed the killer is possibly of mixed race (source)
- TMPD believe the killer had a slim build with a 70-75 cm waist (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was likely right-handed (source)
- TMPD believe the killer was between 15 and 24 years old at the time of the murders and was "living a student lifestyle" (source)
Perpetrator's Clothes (Arriving)
- Black "Air Tech" "UNIQLO" jacket, size large (source)
- Light gray "Marufuru Corporation (M/X)" sweatshirt with light purple sleeves, size large. These sweatshirts were sold between August 2000 and December 2000 and a total of 130 pieces were sold at 41 stores in 14 different prefectures. The price ranged between 1,480 yen to 1,900 yen. (source)
- Black "EDWIN" gloves, measuring 26 cm in size. Between 1998 and 2000, 10,755 pairs of gloves were manufactured and were sold for around 1,980 yen. The primary retailers of these gloves were JEANS MATE and Marufuru (M/X). (source)
- "Slazenger" athletic shoes (source) size 27 cm or 27.5 -- detectives were split about the size. Size 27.5 was not available for sale in Japan while size 27 was. (source)
- Gray knitted wool bucket hat with black trim. 3,465 hats of this kind were sold in Japan between July 1998 and November 2000 and were sold for around 1,900 yen. TMPD believe that based on the tag, the killer's hat was purchased after September 21, 1999. The hat was sold by Marufuru Corporation (M/X), Unique Co., Ltd., and Daisan Black Co., Ltd. in the Kanto region. (source)
- Plaid scarf of unknown manufacture as there was no tag (source)
- 2 solid black "MUJI" handkerchiefs. Between 1995 and 2000, a total of 66,500 of these black handkerchiefs were manufactured and sold for 300 yen a piece. 59,000 of these were manufactured between 1998 and 2000. (source)
- Hip bag with a belt/strap length of 83 cm. 2,850 of these bags were made by a manufacturer in Osaka and the bags were were sold for 2,900 yen at discount stores in the Kanto region from September 1995 through January 1999. One handkerchief had an approximately 3-cm cut in the center, which police believe indicates the killer used the handkerchief to wrap around the knife handle. The other handkerchief was folded into a triangle, and police say it is possible the killer used it as a mask. (source)
- "Seki Magoroku, Ginju" sashimi knife, manufactured in Fukui Prefecture in June 2000. A total of 1,500 of these knives were manufactured and they were sold for around 3,500 yen each in 46 stores in Kanto region. (source)
- Traces of "DRAKKAR NOIR" perfume, manufactured in France by Guy Laroche, were found on the handkerchiefs and the hip bag. DRAKKAR NOIR has been sold in Japan since 1982 and a 30ml bottle retailed for 3,000 yen in Japan. (source)
Items Stolen From the House
- Mikio's sweatshirt, which said "DIVE" on the front and had the English alphabet on the back (source)
- Money, although the killer left behind more money than he took (source)
TMPD Investigation
- TMPD ran the killer's prints through South Korea's national database which contains the fingerprints of all adults in the country and found no matches (source)
- Immediately after the murders, TMPD checked all border entry/exit points for individuals matching the killer's profile (source)
- An Irie and her family were ruled out as suspects by TMPD (source)
- The killer's fingerprints are in the Interpol database, according to the Chief (source)
- According to the Chief, only the killer's DNA was found on the hip bag (source)
- TMPD found no traces of drugs or alcohol in the killer's blood (source)
- TMPD conducted detailed sound experiments in the house (source)
- The police have not conclusively determined how the killer entered the house (source)
- Former TMPD Chief told Faceless that the killer's gloves (Faceless emphasizes that it was gloves - plural) were in bad shape (source)
- TMPD has officially said nothing about the sand found in the killer's bag and the Chief dodged Faceless' questions about the sand (source)
- The 'Kuromatsu' poster on 2chan who was active before and after the murders has been 'eliminated' as a suspect, according to the Chief (source)
- In 2021, police revealed that the man seen purchasing the sashimi knife on CCTV near JR Kichijoji Station the day before the murders was ruled out as a suspect (source)
