Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000

[FacelessPodcast]

Thank you, annemc2!

I'll find out if there'll be a transcript

So the answer was 'there will be a transcript at some point, we just don't know when exactly'... which isn't the most helpful response. Sorry I couldn't give you more detail, annemc2!

 

[FacelessPodcast]

It's finally here, guys. The finale, Episode 7, of the Faceless podcast:

FACELESS | USG Audio

As you know, there are no grand solutions in these murders. But today, we do go back to the clearest way in which the killer will be caught. And we look at the reasons why I think he hasn't been so far...

Thanks as ever for listening. And from here on in, I'm free to answer anything I might not have been before.

 

[Lonicera]

As I have already seen in a close family, some Japanese have Korean roots but this remains hidden as considered shameful ( Kyushu island)
It is therefore entirely possible that the killer is a Japanese of Korean origin .
Was the DNA of the husband and sister’s son collected and compared ?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

As I have already seen in a close family, some Japanese have Korean roots but this remains hidden as considered shameful ( Kyushu island)
It is therefore entirely possible that the killer is a Japanese of Korean origin .
Was the DNA of the husband and sister’s son collected and compared ?

Thanks for the post, Lonicera

It's entirely possible that the killer has Korean DNA. We actually talk about this in the last episode of the podcast. It turns out, it's not even certain that the killer was actually 'from' Korea or 'half' Korean. According to the experts I spoke to, the certainty for that in the early 2000s just wasn't a thing.

As for the DNA of An Irie's (Yasuko's sister) husband or her teenage son -- we're not sure that was taken. However, I'm fairly certain both males had their fingerprints taken. Fairly certain.

That said, there is more I wanted to talk about on this front in the podcast but it wasn't permitted in the end.

 

[annemc2]

Wow. That was fantastic! I had no idea that there was a 7th episode so this was a very nice surprise. It was amazing to hear the voice of Colleen Fitzpatrick and to hear her thoughts. In the back of my head I was thinking "what about Parabon?" and BOOM you delivered straight away. What incredible sources to feature in this episode! I'm glad the services are on the radar of Japanese LE and hopefully they will, sooner than later, allow these vital resources to be used in this case.

I have migraine brain, but was it inferred that a murder of this type would automatically result in the death penalty in Japan? It looks like it would be because "death sentences are usually passed in cases of multiple murders" according to Wikipedia. And it looks like Japan has bilateral extradition treaties with the US and with Korea. Sheesh yeah, so involve the military and add in the controversy over privacy/DNA and that could be a giant mess.

Thank you @Lonicera for bringing up the DNA/fingerprints of An Irie's husband and adolescent son. I was also curious about that. Bummer that we can't know all of the details but I understand that this kind of reporting is an extremely delicate dance.

I'm so glad that you shared your personal opinion, @FacelessPodcast, as it helps weed through some of the information. Especially considering the fact that you are aware of much more than you are able to disclose. I'm going to give it another listen when I have a clearer head and very much look forward to the discussion posted here. Un gran aplauso for Faceless, et al. You guys did an incredible job!

 

[Cryptic]

About hard water in Japan. Most parts of Japan have soft water, but Okinawa has hard water. In Japan, laundry detergent for hard water is sold only in Okinawa.

That is interesting because Okinawa also has a large number of US military bases as well.

 

[Marysmith]

This crime is mind boggling! The podcast is great. I sure hope it gets solved because it was so vicious! And for what?!

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Wow. That was fantastic! I had no idea that there was a 7th episode so this was a very nice surprise. It was amazing to hear the voice of Colleen Fitzpatrick and to hear her thoughts. In the back of my head I was thinking "what about Parabon?" and BOOM you delivered straight away. What incredible sources to feature in this episode! I'm glad the services are on the radar of Japanese LE and hopefully they will, sooner than later, allow these vital resources to be used in this case.

I have migraine brain, but was it inferred that a murder of this type would automatically result in the death penalty in Japan? It looks like it would be because "death sentences are usually passed in cases of multiple murders" according to Wikipedia. And it looks like Japan has bilateral extradition treaties with the US and with Korea. Sheesh yeah, so involve the military and add in the controversy over privacy/DNA and that could be a giant mess.

Thank you @Lonicera for bringing up the DNA/fingerprints of An Irie's husband and adolescent son. I was also curious about that. Bummer that we can't know all of the details but I understand that this kind of reporting is an extremely delicate dance.

I'm so glad that you shared your personal opinion, @FacelessPodcast, as it helps weed through some of the information. Especially considering the fact that you are aware of much more than you are able to disclose. I'm going to give it another listen when I have a clearer head and very much look forward to the discussion posted here. Un gran aplauso for Faceless, et al. You guys did an incredible job!

Thank you so much, annemc2! Very much appreciated.

And yes, it was encouraging to know that at least it's being publicly spoken about now in Japan -- the fact that their DNA laws stand apart from that of other comparable nations. And as the Chief said, I respect privacy laws as much as anyone, but what about the privacy of the Miyazawa family? They have none. And clearly, multiple homicide, should at least be considered as a worthy case for making an exception.

If the law changed tomorrow, by the end of that week they could know A LOT more about the culprit than they know right now. It's so frustrating to be stuck due to what is, in my opinion, an outdated law.

As for the military theory, admittedly it's only based on one or two elements. But they are elements that have never been discounted. And I think a military brat leaving the country is more likely than some kind of Jason Bourne figure living off the grid somewhere for 22 years. Which is ignoring the fact that, if he was 15ish as the police have theorised, how the hell did he have the money to fund that kind of lifestyle? Presumably he would've had to resort to crime sooner or later and then he'd be in the web of the TMPD before long.

As for An Irie's son / husband, the Chief says they were looked at. Which is a relief because, without victim blaming anybody here, the people present at the time of the murders MUST be looked at. Particularly if they have close ties to the victims. Like I said above, I can't get into details on this front but you will notice that An Irie did not feature in the podcast. And there are still questions that have gone unanswered. Again, I don't wish to imply I accuse anyone of anything, I can only imagine how hard living with this is. And I know that she has had problems with previous media regarding the case. But it was frustrating to be told no several times when she has previously suggested she would grant interviews and simply wants the case solved. I was offering the full weight of the studio behind me, financial recourses for private DNA testing, that kind of thing -- not to mention bringing this case to the English-speaking world. Even if she didn't wish to feature in the podcast, simply to be able to hear her point of view would have been beneficial, I think. Alas.

Thanks once again, annemc2, for your kind words!

 

[FacelessPodcast]

This crime is mind boggling! The podcast is great. I sure hope it gets solved because it was so vicious! And for what?!

Thank you very much, Marysmith! My hopes are with yours

And yes, that's part of what's so paradoxical about this case -- ordinarily, we can at least theorise as to why someone would do this. In this case, the TMPD have put 200,000+ personnel on this (according to them) so you would have to imagine that a personal relationship with the killer would have been uncovered by now. So, if it's not a personal killing, why was the level of violence so ferocious?

In the podcast, we couldn't get into these details but Yasuko, for example, was left "facially unrecognisable". The idea that someone would do that because she was standing in the way of monetary gain? It just doesn't track. Not to mention that no sooner does he enter the house than he starts killing a child. These don't square with the actions of a burglary gone wrong. Which makes me believe that he went there to kill. And if he went there to kill, he had his own reasons. Whether those were tangible or whether the Miyazawa were unfortunate avatars of some hatred he had for another family (his own?) we'll never know. But I can confirm that the motive was not sexual. That's according to the Tokyo police.

 

[annemc2]

Bumping for those who missed the initial podcast post or podcast updates!

FACELESS | USG Audio

THE TRUE STORY OF A KILLER THAT MURDERED A FAMILY OF FOUR AND STAYED THE NIGHT.

www.usgaudio.com

 

[fridaybaker]

I've hesitated to comment here because I just haven't known what I can contribute. However, I just read an article that describes the brutality of the killings -it sounds almost as if the three stabbing victims were almost butchered. My inclination has always been that this was a revenge killing by skateboarders (I know, it sounds extreme, but people have killed for less, and these are young people, not known for being the best at impulse control) or in rage about an unwanted sexual advance.

However, in light of the brutality toward all of the victims, apparently (at least I haven't read where one person appeared to have appreciably more or worse wounds than the others or was thought to be the primary target) I'm leaning in the direction of a drug-fueled rampage or a psychotic break kind of thing. The victims were perhaps targeted only in regard to wrong time, wrong place. The fact that there were virtually no neighbors, the house backed up to a park, and there was a back window allowing for unseen access contributed to a good target. And it was.

 

[fridaybaker]

Regarding DNA, would Japanese investigators have access to genealogical databases here in the states? I ask because so many Americans have contributed to those databases. If he were connected to the U.S., perhaps his identity can be established via U.S. databases.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I've hesitated to comment here because I just haven't known what I can contribute. However, I just read an article that describes the brutality of the killings -it sounds almost as if the three stabbing victims were almost butchered. My inclination has always been that this was a revenge killing by skateboarders (I know, it sounds extreme, but people have killed for less, and these are young people, not known for being the best at impulse control) or in rage about an unwanted sexual advance.

However, in light of the brutality toward all of the victims, apparently (at least I haven't read where one person appeared to have appreciably more or worse wounds than the others or was thought to be the primary target) I'm leaning in the direction of a drug-fueled rampage or a psychotic break kind of thing. The victims were perhaps targeted only in regard to wrong time, wrong place. The fact that there were virtually no neighbors, the house backed up to a park, and there was a back window allowing for unseen access contributed to a good target. And it was.

Thanks for your thoughts, fridaybaker. On paper, there are reasonable conclusions to draw. However, one of the problems with this case, at least from the outside, is that for virtually any theory thrown around, there is always one (usually more) facts that immediately reject it. For example:

Skaters: we know for sure that the Tokyo cops followed the skater theory a long way. In my podcast (linked a couple of posts above by annemc2), I even speak to one of these guys directly. And he outright confirmed it, after the detectives fingerprinted him to eliminate him from the investigation, they just wanted names. "Give us more names of skaters." So this was taken seriously. And yet, in 22 years, zero credible suspects or arrests. So, ultimately, if it was a skater, he's done a hell of a job eluding the police when this was one of their main areas of investigation.

Sexual motive: The former chief in charge of the investigation confirmed to me that none of the victims displayed any kind of sexual interference and no semen was found at the scene. If that was the killer's motive, he left no trace of it at the scene and the police have said nothing about it.

Drug-fulled rampage: No drugs or alcohol were found in the killer's flood or faeces.

As for the house being a good target: while it's true that the house is located in a park and, by Tokyo standards, relatively secluded, there were neighbours directly next door. Four people. It's still unclear how the people next door, blood relatives of the victims, heard no screams that would have led to the police being called. He also needed to be able to control four people in the Miyazawa's home. As well as get away from the scene, while injured, without being spotted leaving the house in a public park. Setagaya, the district where the house stands, is one of the most populous in Tokyo. As much as we don't know whether or not the killer had a plan, he sure as hell had some good fortune.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

"Regarding DNA, would Japanese investigators have access to genealogical databases here in the states? I ask because so many Americans have contributed to those databases. If he were connected to the U.S., perhaps his identity can be established via U.S. databases."

I think the US would share any and all database information. The problem is there doesn't seem to be any legal framework in Japan for using DNA beyond the criminal database. That is to say, if your DNA is on the database and at a crime scene, they move forward with it in an investigation. If your DNA is NOT on the database, there is no other way for them to use it.

Some people have told me it's not legal for them to use it in an exploratory way due to privacy concerns. Others have said it's not that it's illegal per se, it's more that there just isn't a legal framework for using it yet. Whatever the truth, we know that privacy is highly-valued there

 

[dotr]

Posted 23 hours ago

The “Goldilocks” Killings Of A Japanese Family Remain Unsolved 22 Years Later, And The Details Are Baffling

An intruder who viciously killed a married couple and their two children has never been caught, despite leaving his bloodstained clothes, fingerprints, shoe prints, and an unflushed toilet.

www.buzzfeednews.com

2020 rbbm.Lengthy article.

Police still hoping killer's DNA will break 20-year-old Setagaya multiple murder case

Tokyoites who arose on the morning of Jan 1, 2001 with hopeful expectations for the new year and new millennium were greeted instead with shocking news headlines: "Police suspect burglary after family found slain at home." In police parlance, the official name is "Kamisoshigaya 3-chome family of...

japantoday.com

''As no blood was found on Rei's body, it is theorized that the killer murdered him first by strangulation. The father, wife and daughter died of exsanguination from multiple knife wounds. Afterwards the killer inexplicably lingered in the house possibly for as long as 10 hours and then departed, leaving behind his blood, fingerprints, an unflushed stool in the toilet and various personal possessions that investigators typically call takara no yama (a mountain of treasures, i.e., evidence).

None of these, however, have led to the arrest of any suspect. It's as if he had walked out the door, boarded a UFO, and vanished into thin air.

Asahi Geino (Dec 31-Jan 7) talked with retired police official Takeshi Tsuchida, who as chief of the Seijo Police station headed the initial investigation.

"After killing his victims the criminal lingered in the house," says Tsuchida. "He ate two cups of ice cream straight from the cups without a spoon. He scattered documents into the bathtub. He may have been looking for something, or perhaps he was just spending time before leaving."

The greatest mystery perhaps remains the killer's motive.

"Several hundred thousand yen are believed to have disappeared, but the question remains, were the killings done for financial gain, out of some deep-seated personal hatred or the act of a deviant personality?" Tsuchida wonders.''

''The killer's unusual DNA indicates a father of East Asian background and a mother with roots in southern Europe or the Adriatic. With only 2% of genetic material, scientists can develop a profile -- similar to a sketch by a police artist -- of the individual's likely physical appearance. The data can also be cross-referenced to ancestry sites on the web that might lead to other family members and trace the killer's identity. Widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., such science has led to the arrest of several serial killers.

But Japan lags behind other countries in these techniques, and in addition, the law prevents exploratory profiles of crime suspects from being made public. For authorities to make public the names and photographs of murder victims but protect suspected perpetrators strikes Tsuchida as highly inequitable.

"If we could generate a montage photo (composite image) based on the DNA, perhaps someone in the neighborhood might recall having seen him, and provide some useful clue," he says.''

Japan offers US$200k for help solving Setagaya murders, 20 years on

The Miyazawa family were slaughtered in their home on New Year’s Eve 2000 in a case that shocked the nation, but despite the killer leaving a host of clues, nobody has ever been arrested.

www.scmp.com

''DNA tests on the blood show the killer was of mixed race and probably not a Japanese citizen. His mother was of southern European descent, probably from around the Adriatic region, while his father was Asian. The DNA results showed a marker common in one in every five Koreans, one in every 10 Chinese and just one in 13 Japanese people.
Supporting the theory that the perpetrator is not Japanese is that the fingerprints left at the scene have not been found on any Japanese database, despite fingerprints being required for driving licences, passports and other official documents.
Another indication that he was not Japanese were his running shoes, which left bloodied footprints behind. That particular size was never sold in Japan but was available in South Korea.''

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Posted 23 hours ago

The “Goldilocks” Killings Of A Japanese Family Remain Unsolved 22 Years Later, And The Details Are Baffling

An intruder who viciously killed a married couple and their two children has never been caught, despite leaving his bloodstained clothes, fingerprints, shoe prints, and an unflushed toilet.

www.buzzfeednews.com

View attachment 390395
2020 rbbm.Lengthy article.
View attachment 390394

Police still hoping killer's DNA will break 20-year-old Setagaya multiple murder case

Tokyoites who arose on the morning of Jan 1, 2001 with hopeful expectations for the new year and new millennium were greeted instead with shocking news headlines: "Police suspect burglary after family found slain at home." In police parlance, the official name is "Kamisoshigaya 3-chome family of...

japantoday.com

''As no blood was found on Rei's body, it is theorized that the killer murdered him first by strangulation. The father, wife and daughter died of exsanguination from multiple knife wounds. Afterwards the killer inexplicably lingered in the house possibly for as long as 10 hours and then departed, leaving behind his blood, fingerprints, an unflushed stool in the toilet and various personal possessions that investigators typically call takara no yama (a mountain of treasures, i.e., evidence).

None of these, however, have led to the arrest of any suspect. It's as if he had walked out the door, boarded a UFO, and vanished into thin air.

Asahi Geino (Dec 31-Jan 7) talked with retired police official Takeshi Tsuchida, who as chief of the Seijo Police station headed the initial investigation.

"After killing his victims the criminal lingered in the house," says Tsuchida. "He ate two cups of ice cream straight from the cups without a spoon. He scattered documents into the bathtub. He may have been looking for something, or perhaps he was just spending time before leaving."

The greatest mystery perhaps remains the killer's motive.

"Several hundred thousand yen are believed to have disappeared, but the question remains, were the killings done for financial gain, out of some deep-seated personal hatred or the act of a deviant personality?" Tsuchida wonders.''

''The killer's unusual DNA indicates a father of East Asian background and a mother with roots in southern Europe or the Adriatic. With only 2% of genetic material, scientists can develop a profile -- similar to a sketch by a police artist -- of the individual's likely physical appearance. The data can also be cross-referenced to ancestry sites on the web that might lead to other family members and trace the killer's identity. Widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., such science has led to the arrest of several serial killers.

But Japan lags behind other countries in these techniques, and in addition, the law prevents exploratory profiles of crime suspects from being made public. For authorities to make public the names and photographs of murder victims but protect suspected perpetrators strikes Tsuchida as highly inequitable.

"If we could generate a montage photo (composite image) based on the DNA, perhaps someone in the neighborhood might recall having seen him, and provide some useful clue," he says.''

Japan offers US$200k for help solving Setagaya murders, 20 years on

The Miyazawa family were slaughtered in their home on New Year’s Eve 2000 in a case that shocked the nation, but despite the killer leaving a host of clues, nobody has ever been arrested.

www.scmp.com

View attachment 390399
''DNA tests on the blood show the killer was of mixed race and probably not a Japanese citizen. His mother was of southern European descent, probably from around the Adriatic region, while his father was Asian. The DNA results showed a marker common in one in every five Koreans, one in every 10 Chinese and just one in 13 Japanese people.
Supporting the theory that the perpetrator is not Japanese is that the fingerprints left at the scene have not been found on any Japanese database, despite fingerprints being required for driving licences, passports and other official documents.
Another indication that he was not Japanese were his running shoes, which left bloodied footprints behind. That particular size was never sold in Japan but was available in South Korea.''

Thanks for the post, dotr. I speak to many of the people mentioned above in the podcast including Chief Tsuchita (the press always gets his name wrong) and Julian Ryall. Another thing the press is constantly wrong about is the killer's DNA.

''The killer's unusual DNA indicates a father of East Asian background and a mother with roots in southern Europe or the Adriatic. With only 2% of genetic material, scientists can develop a profile -- similar to a sketch by a police artist -- of the individual's likely physical appearance. The data can also be cross-referenced to ancestry sites on the web that might lead to other family members and trace the killer's identity. Widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., such science has led to the arrest of several serial killers."

As per my podcast, the latest expertise says that it would've been impossible for those "roots" to prove anything. The TMPD revealed to us that this thing about the killer being foreign came out of a university leak when they asked for an opinion. You'll notice the police themselves never mention anything about him being foreign. That's because the "roots" mentioned in the paper are mitochondrial DNA. Thus, the Mediterranean or Adriatic DNA could've come from the killer's mother. Or they could've come from his great-great-great grandmother x16. If the latter were the case, there would be absolutely ZERO "unusual" about his DNA. Also, assuming the killer is simply Japanese, those ancestry sites will be largely useless in Japan.

"If we could generate a montage photo (composite image) based on the DNA, perhaps someone in the neighborhood might recall having seen him, and provide some useful clue," he says.''

Funnily enough, I've been speaking to Chief Tsuchita about this very thing recently. Hopefully changes to the legal framework will mean accessing new technologies.

Finally, as for the Buzzfeed article linked at the top, it was a little disappointing. Of course the author is within their rights to conclude whatever they wish, but to say some of the theories explored in the podcast are "sound" while others are "silly" is disappointing without explaining why or even briefly mentioning. Especially because there are various other assumptions / errors in the buzzfeed article itself.

But to say that the skaters theory is "silly" seems, ironically, silly -- we know that the TMPD took this extremely seriously. And as for the point about Drakkar Noir on the killer's possessions linking to skaters being "a gargantuan leap", this is something Japanese skaters themselves have connected. While it's not any kind of smoking gun, if skaters were saying they wore it around that time because it was popularised by Christian Hosoi and skaters were interrogated by cops, I fail to see what's so wild about looking into this?

 

[FacelessPodcast]

''DNA tests on the blood show the killer was of mixed race and probably not a Japanese citizen. His mother was of southern European descent, probably from around the Adriatic region, while his father was Asian. The DNA results showed a marker common in one in every five Koreans, one in every 10 Chinese and just one in 13 Japanese people.
Supporting the theory that the perpetrator is not Japanese is that the fingerprints left at the scene have not been found on any Japanese database, despite fingerprints being required for driving licences, passports and other official documents.
Another indication that he was not Japanese were his running shoes, which left bloodied footprints behind. That particular size was never sold in Japan but was available in South Korea.''

Further errors:

*simply put, nobody knows if he was Japanese or not. "Probably" doesn't come into it. His mother was NOT of southern European descent -- at least not certainly. She may have been but this could be going back hundreds of years which would mean the killer would simply look Japanese by now.

*"common in 1 in 5 Koreans vs 1 in 13 Japanese." These are odds are worth little of evidentiary value unless we know for sure. And we do not know for sure.

*I'm not actually sure the point about needing fingerprints for a passport etc in Japan are true. Certainly, our Japanese crew and fixer on the podcast rejected that idea. Having seen Japanese passports, no fingerprint appears on it. So why give them if they're not used? I do know, however, that this practice is common in Korea.

*As for the shoes, even if they weren't Japanese shoes, it wouldn't indicate where the killer is from. Anyone can buy shoes abroad or by mail order/online. And more importantly, the Chief in charge of the case told me that only half the investigators judged it to be the size unavailable in Japan. The other half, including him, thought it was a half size smaller -- which WAS available in Japan.

To put it simply, there is not actually a huge amount here that suggests the killer was foreign. Only tenuous or nebulous links abroad. But very little concrete. The one unexplainable factor is the sand -- which would've required foreign travel. But even so, very little to say that the killer COULDN'T have been Japanese, whatever his genetic markers or mito DNA.

 

[dotr]

Just a thought, who took the family photo as pictured ^ upthread?

Thanks for the post, dotr. I speak to many of the people mentioned above in the podcast including Chief Tsuchita (the press always gets his name wrong) and Julian Ryall. Another thing the press is constantly wrong about is the killer's DNA.

''The killer's unusual DNA indicates a father of East Asian background and a mother with roots in southern Europe or the Adriatic. With only 2% of genetic material, scientists can develop a profile -- similar to a sketch by a police artist -- of the individual's likely physical appearance. The data can also be cross-referenced to ancestry sites on the web that might lead to other family members and trace the killer's identity. Widely used by law enforcement in the U.S., such science has led to the arrest of several serial killers."

As per my podcast, the latest expertise says that it would've been impossible for those "roots" to prove anything. The TMPD revealed to us that this thing about the killer being foreign came out of a university leak when they asked for an opinion. You'll notice the police themselves never mention anything about him being foreign. That's because the "roots" mentioned in the paper are mitochondrial DNA. Thus, the Mediterranean or Adriatic DNA could've come from the killer's mother. Or they could've come from his great-great-great grandmother x16. If the latter were the case, there would be absolutely ZERO "unusual" about his DNA. Also, assuming the killer is simply Japanese, those ancestry sites will be largely useless in Japan.

"If we could generate a montage photo (composite image) based on the DNA, perhaps someone in the neighborhood might recall having seen him, and provide some useful clue," he says.''

Funnily enough, I've been speaking to Chief Tsuchita about this very thing recently. Hopefully changes to the legal framework will mean accessing new technologies.

Finally, as for the Buzzfeed article linked at the top, it was a little disappointing. Of course the author is within their rights to conclude whatever they wish, but to say some of the theories explored in the podcast are "sound" while others are "silly" is disappointing without explaining why or even briefly mentioning. Especially because there are various other assumptions / errors in the buzzfeed article itself.

But to say that the skaters theory is "silly" seems, ironically, silly -- we know that the TMPD took this extremely seriously. And as for the point about Drakkar Noir on the killer's possessions linking to skaters being "a gargantuan leap", this is something Japanese skaters themselves have connected. While it's not any kind of smoking gun, if skaters were saying they wore it around that time because it was popularised by Christian Hosoi and skaters were interrogated by cops, I fail to see what's so wild about looking into this?

Apologies, i should have clarified that the only reason that i posted that link was for the family photo, not the article!
Maybe this could prove helpful in some way in the near future?

South Korea’s digital identity blockchain prepares to add new credentials, go international | Biometric Update

South Korea’s blockchain-based national mobile digital identity system is not due to be fully operational until 2024 but it is already in use.

www.biometricupdate.com

Dec 2022

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I know police have ruled out a sexual motive as no semen was found at the scene, but I wonder if the killer made sexual advances towards either Yasuko (perhaps a tutoring student) or Niina and killed the family in revenge/rage? It could explain why the female family members were seemingly murdered more brutally than the males.

The teen boy living in the adjacent house has presumably been ruled out, but I wonder if his friends were investigated? I’m not sure when the soundproofing was installed, but it’s possible a friend may have stopped by during construction or have been told about it in passing (I.e., ‘don’t worry, we can laugh/play video games loudly because the wall is soundproofed’). A friend of the boy next door would likely also know or be familiar with the Miyazawa’s as well as the habits of the people living next door, which could explain why he felt comfortable hanging around in the house after the murders.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Just a thought, who took the family photo as pictured ^ upthread?

Apologies, i should have clarified that the only reason that i posted that link was for the family photo, not the article!
Maybe this could prove helpful in some way in the near future?

South Korea’s digital identity blockchain prepares to add new credentials, go international | Biometric Update

South Korea’s blockchain-based national mobile digital identity system is not due to be fully operational until 2024 but it is already in use.

www.biometricupdate.com

Dec 2022

I actually have no idea who took that picture -- but that was the first image of the family that drew me in. It could've been a relative or it could've simply been on a self-timer.

And that's interesting about the Korean blockchain thing!