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

[FacelessPodcast]

Almost has me wondering about male prostitution in Japan and if the perp could be one of them, maybe it was the ice cream eating (easy digest) that prompted that thought. fwiw, imo, speculation.

‘Boys for Sale’: the dark world of Japan’s gay prostitution

‘Boys for Sale’: the dark world of Japan’s gay prostitution

www.scmp.com

This is interesting. Yes, I suppose anything is possible. Without understanding the basic motive -- which we still don't -- it's frustrating to not be able to discount anything pretty much.

But I have to assume that given the TMPD did such a deep dive into Mikio and Yasuko (even the kids) if he was using male prostitutes, something like this would have come up in their enquiries.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I have not seen the autopsy reports. That is why I am asking you! Lol. To my knowledge, they are not available, but I would love to see them if they are, in fact, available somewhere.

The lack of blood (to me) is not an incredible feat, as he came in clean and likely cleaned up after the crime, so he also left devoid of blood.

I’d have to see some close ups of the window to comment on fibers, or the lack thereof. If the window didn’t have any sharp areas, and the killer wore a smooth coat, I am not sure how unusual it would be to not leave fibers. Moreover, it was a holiday skeleton crew who originally assessed the scene, so it could be possible fibers were missed. He could have entered via the window since we know he was quite thin. I do think Rei was killed first, which is a point for the window being the entry point, but I am not married to that theory if there were more compelling evidence of another entry point to come to light.

I am just as interested in getting into the killer’s mind. Why did he do what he did re: documents, ice cream, length of time in the flat, etc.

To clarify, it's not the actual autopsy reports that I read but an article somewhere quoting them. I can't find it now unfortunately but from memory, it did detail the fact that: Yasuko's face was stabbed beyond recognition and her brain matter was protruding from the skull. Also, Niina had been stabbed in the spine. Mikio had lost a finger.

The lack of blood at the window or the front door is not necessarily an incredible feat but it is a puzzle. How did he manage that considering he had to keep his own shoes (which he'd been walking through blood pools with)? One possibility is that he took off his shoes before the genkan at the door, held them in his hands (although one was badly injured) and walked out barefoot from the front door. But why? He showed no interest in hiding his actions up until that point and what does he gain by doing this?

It is possible of course that mistakes were made, details were missed. But from what the Chief said, it was clear very early on how serious the case was and he was killed back from leave to handle the case. So, although mistakes can always be made, even from the news footage we can see they put a lot of people on it. So I do think that if there were fibres, they would've been found. Especially because ascertaining the killer's method of entry would have been an early fundamental they'd want to establish.

The alternative is that he simply knocked on the door and Mikio let him in, then the killer walked upstairs, perhaps saying he needed the toilet, and then killed Rei. When he was taking too long, Mikio went upstairs and then the sequence of events played out as we know. However, for that to be true, it would require Mikio to know the guy and let him upstairs. Otherwise, the struggle would've occurred at the front door, not on the stairs with the killer above and Mikio below. I suppose it's possible he could've stunned Mikio initially and then rushed straight upstairs but I just don't buy that.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

The killer in this case reminded me of Orsolya Gaal’s murderer who also injured his hand while stabbing her, spent time in her home tending to his wounds and cleaning up the crime scene. All the while he knew her teenage son was asleep in an upstairs bedroom.

I think this killer tried to patch his injury and then went to the freezer for something cold to apply to it, and used the icecream. I believe that as each small container melted, he just drank it (he apparently didn’t use a spoon).

My impression is that he was in the home to take Niina, but I’m not sure why she was killed. Maybe she was inadvertently injured in the initial attacks, and then he didn’t want her to survive and be able to ID him(?)

There was in interval between when the mother and Niina were first injured to when they were killed from what I understand. I don’t yet know if there’s evidence that he was able to access the attic where they were. If there’s not, he may have had to wait it out for them to come down on their own.

I hadn't heard of the Gaal case, interesting!

The killer used one hand on the ice cream, sort of squeezing it out of each of the four cups. He then also ate melon with one hand. This would've been due to the severe injury on one of his hands. I have no idea if he used the ice cream to cool his injuries or he was just hungry. Either way, it's remarkable how long he spent in the house.

If he was there for Niina, why? To assault her? Because no signs of sexual assault were displayed. Unfortunately, we simply don't know if it had anything to do with one family member, or two, or all. Arguments can be made in all four directions. Rei, for example, was the only one spared the stabbing so people have said the killer felt guilt over this murder. Whereas others have said he was there specifically for Rei as he had some kind of pathological hatred of disabilities and wanted to rid the world of 'impurity'. Basically, we don't know. But Niina is as good a guess as any.

The interval between the first attack on Niina and Yasuko was, the police believe, due to the fact that the knife broke in Mikio's skull. So when the killer began attacking the mother and daughter up in the attic (he used the flip-down ladder to gain access) he realised the blade was ruined. He then paused the attack and went back downstairs to the kitchen to get a carving knife. In that time, Yasuko and Niina went downstairs and the killer found them at the foot of the ladder. That's where they died. We don't know who was actually killed first between the two but there can't have been much of a delay.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I’ve only listened to the first episode and it’s excellent. You’re very respectful to everyone that was impacted by the crime.

Thank you so much Lexiintoronto, I very much appreciate that. We tried really hard to keep the victims foremost and not in any way glorify the killer's actions, or sensationalise. Sadly, this is something that I think happens all too often...

 

[FacelessPodcast]

世田谷一家殺害事件 遺族の思い (Thoughts of the bereaved family of the Setagaya family murder case) - NHK
<translated and snipped>
Yasuko's two children were also attached to Irie.

It was Irie's duty to take her niece Nina to elementary school.

She says that she was a child who understood other people's feelings.

She suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and when she went out with Irie's mother, who was suffering from the pain, she was a gentle girl who said, "Grandma, you can hold on to my shoulder."

[...]

In addition to deepening her studies of grief care and working as a lecturer at the Institute of Grief Care at Sophia University, Irie pondered why she could not talk about her grief and what it means to talk about and face grief, and disseminate that awareness in books and lectures.

View attachment 390618
A scene from "Suho's White Horse" drawn by Nina-chan

View attachment 390619
Left: Rei-kun's birthday, Nina-chan right: Rei-kun's 2nd birthday

Broadcast Human Rights Commission Decision No. 61, "Appeal to the Setagaya family murder special program," Recommendation (September 12, 2016)
<translated, edited for readability, & snipped>
On Sunday, December 28, 2014, TV Asahi broadcasted "The Moment of the Century & Unsolved Incidents in Japan." The special, "The Setagaya Family Murder Case," was broadcast as a three-hour year-end special program (hereinafter referred to as "this broadcast"). [The Setagaya family murders], which occurred late at night on December 30, 2000, is still unsolved Taking up the [Miyazawa] family murder case, a former FBI investigator will profile the criminal. It was content. The family that the petitioner, who is the sister of one of the victims, denied it was a crime by an acquaintance who had a strong grudge against him.

[...]

In order to find out who the culprit is, [former FBI profiler] Mark Safarik apparently interviewed An Irie, the bereaved family of the victim, and others, was broadcast. Irie was the older sister of Yasuko Miyazawa, who was murdered, and lived next door at the time of the incident. In the program, the former investigator said, "At that time, I was Japanese in my mid-twenties, I knew the Miyazawa family, and I was mentally ill. [The perpetrator is] a person who holds a strong grudge against him, who has a problem with his wife."

[...]

In addition, TV Asahi reported that the petitioner said, "I feel that my sisters did not hold a grudge against me.
There were no personal troubles, money troubles, or anything like a relationship between men and women."

[...]

The petitioner is Yasuko's older sister. At the time of the incident, she lived next door to the victim's family. [Her] mother
[...] was also the first to discover the incident. About half a year after the incident, at the request of the investigative authorities, [there was] "work to investigate malice" to see if there was a person close to her who had a grudge against her sister's family. During this process, the petitioner had a strong resentment toward his family [and] reject[ed] the view that the crime was committed by an acquaintance.

世田谷一家殺害事件、現場の家を公開　遺族「壊せない」- The Setagaya family murder case, the site of the scene released: Bereaved family "cannot be destroyed" - Asahi Shimbun (January 18, 2020)
Included in the article is actual video from the inside of the house.

［世田谷一家殺害２０年］＜上＞照合した指紋は５０００万件、今なお増える犯人資料 - 20th anniversary of the Setagaya family murder: 50 million fingerprints collated, still increasing - Yomiuri (December 12, 2020)
It was the criminal's fingerprints that made the Special Investigation Headquarters shine. Investigators dubbed him "Butabana" because of the swirly pattern on his thumbs, which looked like a pig's nose. The culprit also had a wound on his hand, leaving a bloody "stain".

"There aren't many incidents that have Hoshi's [the criminal's] fingerprints from the beginning. I thought, 'I can do it,'" a former investigator who participated in the initial investigation looks back.

[...]

In the evening of the day after the incident, a station employee was treating a man with an injured hand at Tobu Nikko Station in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture. However, the investigation was put on the back burner, saying, "There's no way you can get on the train while bleeding.'' About 10 months later, investigators headed to the scene. The man who was treated for his wounds has not yet been identified.

A former investigator who was a member of the Special Investigation Headquarters revealed, "What we detectives are most afraid of is that someone who listens to the story and decides 'not the culprit' is later found out to be the culprit and is arrested." He continued: "It is possible that investigators at the scene thought, 'This time, as long as they take the fingerprints, they won't overlook the criminal,' and the questioning and investigation of friendships were insufficient."

3D rendering of the area produced by TMPD

I'm not going to comment too much on Ann Irie, (not her real name, Ann Irie is an anagram of Niina and Rei). At the end of the day, she's a victim to this crime. I will only say that she rejected the chance to talk with us for the podcast multiple times and that's absolutely her right, I wouldn't criticise her for that. But she did charge us money to listen to one of her grief seminars where "her reasons for rejecting" would be made clear. They were not.

I am a little confused why she takes such a dim view of the media (I'll get on to the FBI profiler in a second) but then at the same time uses the media when she wants to. You'll notice that the NHK article is very complimentary towards her and focuses largely on her, and her publishing/seminars. Ultimately, and with no disrespect intended at all, I feel there are questions outstanding regarding the case which she could answer. Because there are elements here which make no sense.

RE: the Asahi TV documentary, I spoke personally with Mark Safarik. He wasn't keen to feature on the podcast but he made it clear to me that he's convinced that either a family member or someone close to the family is responsible for the murders. Ann sued Asahi TV. Of course, given this experience, I can understand why she might have misgivings in dealing with the media. Then again, she still uses them when the situation calls.

Ann Irie: “I felt that what I had built was destroyed by this program. It is regrettable as I have accepted every kind of media interview, hoping it will lead to the case being solved,” Irie told a news conference in Tokyo.

Irie, an author of children’s books, has spoken publicly about her experience as a relative of crime victims.

TV Asahi said: “We provided an explanation to Ms. Irie after the program was aired, as there was a divergence of views. We have nothing to say at this point.”

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Note how some areas of the park are elevated and provide good view of the house interior, especially in the evening and at night when the lights inside are on.

Having been there several times, I've never actually noticed the elevated areas. The park itself is pretty crowded and the windows are small. The largest window is in the living room. But you'd have to be standing pretty much in front of the house to get a good view of it. That said, the house is pretty isolated and from the playground behind it or the skate park nearby you'd be able to see it and maybe start thinking about it....

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I have seen many articles suggest the killer was there until after 10AM in the morning due to the computer activity thought to have happened as a result of mouse movement. My question is this: I read that the computer was not on when authorities arrived. I also read elsewhere that the computer‘s electrical cord had been taken. How could any mouse movement have affected the computer if either of these statements were true?

I also now have another question: Was there believed to have been a third knife, based on Mikio’s wounds?

The Chief confirmed that the cord was not taken, it was there. The computer was not unplugged. But the police no longer believe the 10am 'activation' was the killer but in fact the grandmother at the time she discovered the bodies. She discovered them at 10am, or a little after, and I believe the police were called at 10:50am.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I also now have another question: Was there believed to have been a third knife, based on Mikio’s wounds?

As for the knife, I only know of two knives. The first one, a sushi knife, which the killer brought with him and used to stab Mikio with. But it broke during the attack. He used it on Niina and Yasuko after but as it was broken, he aborted the attack, and went to get the carving knife from the kitchen.

 

[femto]

IMO, it's one of the skateboarders the father had issues with that did it. The killer's attire and where he brought his clothes holds huge clues to that. Furthermore, jumping from that tree into the house seems to have required a fair bit of athleticism. The killer also doesn't seem experienced to me doing a lot of nonsensical stuff around the house and leaving a trail of evidence and even slept suggesting he was quite careless and probably a thrill seeker.

Were these groups of skaters ever identified? I don't remember if that angle was pursued that much..

The interval between the first attack on Niina and Yasuko was, the police believe, due to the fact that the knife broke in Mikio's skull. So when the killer began attacking the mother and daughter up in the attic (he used the flip-down ladder to gain access) he realised the blade was ruined. He then paused the attack and went back downstairs to the kitchen to get a carving knife. In that time, Yasuko and Niina went downstairs and the killer found them at the foot of the ladder. That's where they died. We don't know who was actually killed first between the two but there can't have been much of a delay.

Wouldn't the more likely scenario be that the killer after killing Rei moved to Niina and Yasuko and started stabbing them, but was heard from Mikio who went in to check and started fighting with the killer? From what I remember Mikio was still in his work clothes and working on his computer when the perp came in. Then Yasuko goes to bandage Niina and hide while Mikio and the killer struggle with the knife. The killer then moves top to kill Niina and her mother? It would explain their positioning and movements better, imo.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

IMO, it's one of the skateboarders the father had issues with that did it. The killer's attire and where he brought his clothes holds huge clues to that. Furthermore, jumping from that tree into the house seems to have required a fair bit of athleticism. The killer also doesn't seem experienced to me doing a lot of nonsensical stuff around the house and leaving a trail of evidence and even slept suggesting he was quite careless and probably a thrill seeker.

Were these groups of skaters ever identified? I don't remember if that angle was pursued that much..


Wouldn't the more likely scenario be that the killer after killing Rei moved to Niina and Yasuko and started stabbing them, but was heard from Mikio who went in to check and started fighting with the killer? From what I remember Mikio was still in his work clothes and working on his computer when the perp came in. Then Yasuko goes to bandage Niina and hide while Mikio and the killer struggle with the knife. The killer then moves top to kill Niina and her mother? It would explain their positioning and movements better, imo.

The skaters is an interesting angle here. On the one hand, while anything is possible, I find it hard to believe that a skater would be so angry that somebody asked him to make less noise, that he would go and stab an entire family death. I spoke to some of the skaters that used to hang out in that park around the time of the murders and was told by one of them that he even remembered Mikio coming out and asking them to keep it down. Apparently the guy was very reasonable about it and the skaters went on their way with no problem.

Also, I'm not convinced those are skater clothes per se. Certainly, the Japanese skaters we spoke to said the clothes were all wrong from that period, particularly the shoes.

On the other hand, we know for a fact that the Tokyo police pursued this possibility in a big way. So they obviously thought there was some credibility to this angle. They were interrogating and fingerprinting a lot of them, including the ones we spoke to, and apparently the one thing they wanted was more names of other skaters. Essentially, it sounds like they just figured that eventually they'd fingerprint the culprit so long as he was connected to the skating scene. Well, it's been 22 years and zip.

As for the sequence of the murders, I didn't catch why you think they don't currently make sense?

We can be fairly certain about them as 1) the police seem clear on this and 2) the lack of blood on Rei's strangled body means he would have to be first. The killer bled profusely from cutting his hand. Next it would've been Mikio coming up the stairs, presumably to investigate a sound or heavy footsteps. And then finally Yasuko and Niina who were up in the attic. I suppose it's possible that the killer went from Rei up the ladder to the attic to attack Niina and Yasuko but that seems like a risk when he doesn't know who's downstairs. Plus, it being a family home with photos etc, it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out there may be a father around -- clearly, the greatest risk to the killer.

 

[Lexiintoronto]

This has likely been pointed out a few times, but the family would have access to the crime scene and possibly the killer’s blood samples. They can independently submit his samples to get a profile based on his DNA, can’t they?

If this had happened in Canada, the house would have been turned over to the family after the investigation without any clean up by the police. (They normally recommend a special biohazard cleaning and repair service). I’m not sure about the procedure in Japan.

I know 22 years have passed, but there must be something possibly in their possession that may be useful, imo. (Blood-stained documents or fabric etc.)

 

[annpats]

But I have to assume that given the TMPD did such a deep dive into Mikio and Yasuko (even the kids) if he was using male prostitutes, something like this would have come up in their enquiries.

But would it? If he was paying cash and there was no digital communication between them.....?

 

[savagewoman]

To clarify, it's not the actual autopsy reports that I read but an article somewhere quoting them. I can't find it now unfortunately but from memory, it did detail the fact that: Yasuko's face was stabbed beyond recognition and her brain matter was protruding from the skull. Also, Niina had been stabbed in the spine. Mikio had lost a finger.

The lack of blood at the window or the front door is not necessarily an incredible feat but it is a puzzle. How did he manage that considering he had to keep his own shoes (which he'd been walking through blood pools with)? One possibility is that he took off his shoes before the genkan at the door, held them in his hands (although one was badly injured) and walked out barefoot from the front door. But why? He showed no interest in hiding his actions up until that point and what does he gain by doing this?

It is possible of course that mistakes were made, details were missed. But from what the Chief said, it was clear very early on how serious the case was and he was killed back from leave to handle the case. So, although mistakes can always be made, even from the news footage we can see they put a lot of people on it. So I do think that if there were fibres, they would've been found. Especially because ascertaining the killer's method of entry would have been an early fundamental they'd want to establish.

The alternative is that he simply knocked on the door and Mikio let him in, then the killer walked upstairs, perhaps saying he needed the toilet, and then killed Rei. When he was taking too long, Mikio went upstairs and then the sequence of events played out as we know. However, for that to be true, it would require Mikio to know the guy and let him upstairs. Otherwise, the struggle would've occurred at the front door, not on the stairs with the killer above and Mikio below. I suppose it's possible he could've stunned Mikio initially and then rushed straight upstairs but I just don't buy that.

Question for you
Any bathrooms at the skate park back then? I wonder if people asked for the bathroom before assuming sister or grandma has the same issue.

 

[ck932]

A lot of these suggestions and questions have been discussed in this thread on the previous pages. Yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of the infamous Setagaya family murders. The Tokyo police have to seek the help of international investigators to solve this case. The killer left abundant evidence—more than would be necessary to track him down.

Yasuko's mother is over 90 years old. She wants this case resolved while she is alive. Yesterday, investigators in the US arrested a killer of four students in Idaho in less than two months. The current strategy of waiting for fingerprints or a DNA match is not working. They need a new approach to close this case. Someone has to come forward and provide tips on the killer. He had a bandage on his hand after the murders. It is highly likely that someone must have witnessed that he had no bandages on his hand the day before and that he had bandages the day after the murders. It could be a friend, a classmate, a coworker, a parent, or a girlfriend.

The whole incident is tragic and puzzling. He didn't even spare the kids. Catching him alive is of utmost importance. There are so many unanswered questions about what happened on the night of the murders that only the murderer could answer them.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

This has likely been pointed out a few times, but the family would have access to the crime scene and possibly the killer’s blood samples. They can independently submit his samples to get a profile based on his DNA, can’t they?

If this had happened in Canada, the house would have been turned over to the family after the investigation without any clean up by the police. (They normally recommend a special biohazard cleaning and repair service). I’m not sure about the procedure in Japan.

I know 22 years have passed, but there must be something possibly in their possession that may be useful, imo. (Blood-stained documents or fabric etc.)

This is a really interesting point, Lex. I can't really get into details here but I can say that YES, it is legal for the relatives to comb the house for any remaining DNA belonging to the killer and send that off to the US or Taiwan or any number of places where this could be analysed. Why that isn't happening, I can't get into.

In terms of who or how the clean-up took place, I'm not sure. As far as I understand it, the city now owns the empty house.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

But would it? If he was paying cash and there was no digital communication between them.....?

Well anything is possible. But as we discover in the podcast, Mikio kept meticulous financial records. While he would be unlikely to be including that kind of thing in them, we can assume that frequent cash holes might be noticed in some way by Yasuko. And SOMEONE would've been able to account for time spent in a red light district at some point. Either transport records or his car movements. I can't discount the idea, of course. I just know how deep the cops dove into their private lives and of course Mikio would have theoretically only been hiding such a thing from his wife and family. He wouldn't have accounted for the scrutiny of thousands of cops.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Question for you
Any bathrooms at the skate park back then? I wonder if people asked for the bathroom before assuming sister or grandma has the same issue.

Yes, I think there are bathrooms behind it, a few metres away. Whether they were there in 2000, I don't know. Google streetview goes back to 2009 and they're there.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

A lot of these suggestions and questions have been discussed in this thread on the previous pages. Yesterday marked the 22nd anniversary of the infamous Setagaya family murders. The Tokyo police have to seek the help of international investigators to solve this case. The killer left abundant evidence—more than would be necessary to track him down.

Yasuko's mother is over 90 years old. She wants this case resolved while she is alive. Yesterday, investigators in the US arrested a killer of four students in Idaho in less than two months. The current strategy of waiting for fingerprints or a DNA match is not working. They need a new approach to close this case. Someone has to come forward and provide tips on the killer. He had a bandage on his hand after the murders. It is highly likely that someone must have witnessed that he had no bandages on his hand the day before and that he has bandages now. It could be a friend, a classmate, a coworker, a parent, or a girlfriend.

The whole incident is tragic and puzzling. He didn't even spare the kids. Catching him alive is of utmost importance. There are so many unanswered questions about what happened on the night of the murders that only the murderer could answer them.

Yes, I completely echo your thoughts ck. (Though Setsuko, the surviving grandmother who is over 90 years old, is actually Mikio's mother).

The thing I found really interesting is the use of familial DNA in the Idaho murders but while it's a live investigation -- not a cold case. I'm sure that's probably been done before but it was the first time I'd seen it. Of course, something like this would be far less effective in a country like Japan where ancestry sites are far, far less popular and there is a greater general sense of privacy in this regard. But there are new, developing DNA technologies that simply can't be applied here and that's so frustrating.

Here's hoping 2023 is the year when we finally get a break in the case.

 

[dotr]

Yes, I think there are bathrooms behind it, a few metres away. Whether they were there in 2000, I don't know. Google streetview goes back to 2009 and they're there.

The reason for my earlier question regarding the possibility of a male sex worker, is not because of any association with the victims, but the possible familiarity with the area, such as the nearby skate park bathrooms, imo speculation.

 

[Captain Hastings]

Just found this forum after binge listening to the podcast. I had never heard of the case before. Just like to say that the series was really good, great job. I'm now fascinated by the case!

There's so much going on here you could pick out various elements that don't make any sense. But the one thing, amongst all the craziness, that really stood out for me was the noise.

I'm from the UK and I've never been to Japan. I'm no expert. But I have heard before that sound proofing in Japanese homes/flats is very poor. One of the channels I follow on YouTube called Abroad in Japan has mentioned it several times, in fact he has made videos largely about the subject. This would perhaps explain both the need to sound proof both sides of the house, and the Japanese culture of being vary wary with noise and annoying your neighbors.

And yet as far as I'm aware the official version is that all the members of the family (4 is that right?) next door didn't hear anything apart from a thud which the police theorised was the drop down loft stairs being shut. I find it impossible to believe that if there were screams and noises nobody next door would hear them.

So we have three possibilities as I see it-

1) There were screams but the family members next door all somehow managed to sleep through them. As I said, I find this impossible to believe in a poorly sound proofed house, especially if the noise of stairs been put back into place IS enough to wake the whole house.

2) The killer is incredibly lucky and manages to kill all four people without making any noise. I could buy into this with the boy and the dad. The boy was strangled so no noise there and the dad could have been surprised and subdued before he had a chance to react. The mother and daughter upstairs were asleep and so at this point this seems like a pretty decent explanation. However, he attacks them, waking them both, then decides to go and replace the broken knife (why didn't he do this before attacking them?). At this point the mother and daughter are both very much awake and are injured. The element of suprise is totally gone. Why stay quiet? Shock could be a factor, as could staying quiet thinking he's gone and worrying in case he came back. But once you see the guy returning up the stairs with a new knife then I find it difficult to believe they would then be hacked to death in silence. Especially a young girl. If this scenario did play out the killer was incredibly lucky. What are the chances you can kill four people, three of whom were horribly stabbed, over ten minutes, in total silence? This then opens up the possibility that the killer either wanted or expected to be caught. Perhaps he didn't care.

3) Final explanation. The people in the house next door, the fellow family members, were somehow involved. I don't know enough about this to properly suggest this may have happened. But it would explain how the killer got in, it would explain the lack of reported noise and it would explain the eyewitness who described walking past and hearing an argument. As well as that, the overwhelming majority of murders are carried out by someone known to the victim. The big hole in this theory would be I would assume the family members were fingerprinted, blood tested etc to exclude them from suspicion?