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

[FacelessPodcast]

Maybe the perp used the coloured dye to make sand art? A Xmas gift, or perhaps the perp works with children, or has a young sibling (one he resents?) speculation, imo.
On a different note, was the perp's shoe size known?

https://www.amazon.ca/Photoluminescent-Fluorescent-GEiNNOVA-Graffiti-Luminous/dp/B073XLW25K

View attachment 471007

I actually think, from conversations with the Chief, that these are traces we're talking about. It sounds more likely to be from highlighter pens than anything else. Which would fit with the fact the TMPD believe the killer was "living the student lifestyle" at the time of the murders.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

So "trainers" has to be a typo or a mistranslation, right? @FacelessPodcast - Nic, do you still speak to the chief?

I have a channel open with the Chief but we're not in constant contact. Basically, it's through a translator who needs to be paid. For that to happen, there basically needs to be a season 2. The Chief would be more than happy to discuss this case with me but we need that bridge between us. (That's why I'm on day 150 of Japanese Duolingo!)

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I agree!
My thoughts at the moment are:
1. The killer probably left the country, possibly for the USA.
2. The sand is an important clue.
3. Such family murders (when not committed by a relative) are often committed by paranoid schizophrenics, yet this killer seems far more fashion conscious than any schizophrenic killer I've read about.
4. The killer enjoyed these murders and the aftermath. Yet hasn't struck since which makes me suspect he died or was institutionalised soon after leaving the country.

1. It's what makes the most sense to me, too.
2. Hard agree.
3. Also, and I don't know anything about schizophrenia, but doesn't that normally manifest in your 20s? The police seem adamant the killer was as young as 15 on the night of the murder. Whatever his mental state, he clearly entered the house with a plan. He clearly wanted to hide his identity. And he clearly didn't give himself up or commit further murders in a country where he is being extensively sought. So, he's probably unwell on some level, but not foaming at the mouth and is able to rationalise AND pivot when his original plan did not work out.
4. He hasn't struck again *that we know of*. I still have my doubts about how much sharing the TMPD and, say, US LE has done here. The Chief assures me his fingerprints are lodged with Interpol. But half of murders in the US go unsolved. Are fingerprints at crime scenes of unsolved murders being matched against Setagaya? I really don't know. Plus, there's nothing to say that he couldn't have evolved or improved his methods.

Personally, however, I go with what David Canter said in my podcast. It's a myth that once someone murders they are driven by an infinite compulsion to murder again. It's quite possible he was enraged at the time, had nothing to lose, and now he does. So, even if the original rage lives within him like a dormant volcano, even if the temptation of bloodshed still whispers to him, it's very possible he is able to keep it inside. My feeling is that the killer is both alive and inactive. But I can see him daydreaming about it or at least recalling it in quiet moments. While he mows the lawn. While he brews tea. While he looks up at the folding ladder to his attic.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Re: the use of the word "trainer" in Japanese, refers to a US sweatshirt or UK sweater.

トレーナー

There are many similar odd translations, like Pantene conditioner is referred to as a 'Rinse'.

Thank you, AnyName. To be clear, whatever wording the newspaper has used, the police themselves use the word "sweat shirt" and "shoes" in their English translation.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

When I read that the sweater pocket contained traces of bird droppings and tree leaves, I don't think that someone intentionally put leaves and bird droppings into their pocket.

I think that someone put an object into their pocket -- a stick, or rock, or pinecone, or even a manmade object such as a toy or book or wallet or keys -- and that the object had been outdoors in a place where *it* had picked up traces of bird droppings and a bit of leaf.

I wonder if they researched where that species of tree might be found in the city, and what species of bird made the dropping (if that's possible) or even other locational clues based on the composition of the bird dropping. Maybe that would have focused attention on a certain part of the city where the perp spent time?

MOO

Agree, @Auntie Cipation. Zelkova trees are native, I believe? At any rate, they are found in Setagaya itself, too. So, judging his movements based on that might be tricky. It's possible he picked these traces up locally -- even just in the minutes before getting into the house. It seems as if he loitered outside the rear wall (broken twigs and footprints in mud outside) leading the TMPD to believe he entered through the 2nd floor bathroom. This, despite the fact that it was deemed almost impossible in reconstruction and that there were zero fibres in the window frame.

What has always baffled me, is that the TMPD have followed the clues wherever they've led -- seemingly in everything except the sand grains. If those grains *were* from America, that's the one definitive marker that proves where he was prior to the murders. They went to Korea because there was a chance he bought his shoes there. They were to China to interview factory workers because of the way he folded his knife in his handkerchief being judged to be 'Chinese'. They finger-printed literally thousands of men with hand injuries. (They're up to over 1 million down the years, I believe). They tracked down owners of the knife he carried, the shirt he wore, the skaters who used the skatepark outside (as we hear in my podcast, they just indiscriminately were taking prints from skaters). Yet, for some reason, they have never said a word about this sand. It's not even on their police appeal on the TMPD website. So, either:

1) There is no sand and never was. This is all a chimera that was never dispelled.
2) There is sand and they don't want to talk about it for whatever reason.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

One question.
That waist bag with the sand...was it full of the sand, or just contained a little bit? Might be important because today, we have weighted vests, weighted blankets, weighted beanie bags, there is a whole industry. In 2001, not only it was all undeveloped, but the concept behind was poorly known. And one lpmore thing - this waist/lapbag was from earlier times than the clothes. Judging by the bag itself, it is not the waist zipper bag that I was taking to work in the 90es (money, key, eyeglasses). Mine was zippered, leather and not too comfy. The one I saw pictured is more square-shaped and if full of sand, would be definitely sensory.

Why I got into it? Just because I wonder if, indeed, the perpetrator lived in US as a kid and then went to Japan, as a kid, he might have had an OT specialist who used sand weights to calm and for sensory development. We are talking about the time before Japan...I think the bag dates back to 1998? And was it from a separate desert? Maybe someone around that area?

(Question makes sense only if there was enough sand in the bag. If there were just several grains, then, my idea is wrong).

The bag was Japanese, made sometime after 1995 in the Osaka region. Yet it contained, seemingly, sand grains from the Mojave Desert. I do not think it was a large quantity of sand. However, only the killer's DNA was found on the bag. Meaning, it's almost certainly him that has been to the Mojave. Also, the world's leading expert in sand / soil forensics has told me it is not possible to confuse sand FROM a certain desert with any other type of sand, even if they share characteristics. Therefore, sand from the Mojave cannot be confused with sand from the Miura Peninsula -- let alone a weighted blanket or whatever.

The bag itself has been often spoken about as a fanny pack (bumbag for my British readers) or hip bag. But when you look at it, it's actually much bigger than that. It takes up quite a lot of space on his front. It can actually also be worn slung over the shoulder with a regular strap (which I'm assuming is how he carried it).

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Respectfully snipped for brevity. I had to Google Edwards air base, the idea was to look for larger towns around it. And to my surprise, it has an interesting history dating back to WWII. Even more interesting, they have excursions. Not that often and you have to call and organize it, they probably vet you, but the fact that it is mentioned is interesting.

I have one person in the family who dreams of aeroplanes. One is enough, because everything, museums, models, bases that are open, more museums are now on our way. We have significantly expanded the tourism to the most disinteresting towns of WA because once, someone chanced to land there. And how many people do I know who make models of airplanes!

What if the perpetrator was not living at the base but just went for an excursion? What if he was into aeroplanes? Had the perp lived here, i can immediately tell where he could have crossed paths with someone like Mikio, a creative person making models of aeroplanes - we have a Museum of Flight where all plane aficionados, wannabe pilots or such get together or volunteer, or visit a store.

Is there such a place in Tokyo? And could Mikio cross path there with someone interested in aeroplanes?

The murderer had to kill four people. Maybe all it took was a chance meeting where dad came with Rei, and that triggered the perp, whose principle, as I can see, is to leave no witnesses?

ETA: did any of Mikio's models disappear?

I can't actually answer too much on this, Charlot, but I will say that my gut feeling is that you're on to something here. People who have dismissed the idea of a link with Yokota / Edwards have merely pointed to coincidence. But coincidence never sat right with me. 2 + 2 = 4.

I believe the perp did indeed live on base in Yokota with a possible previous visit to Edwards in California.

As from what went missing in the house, what is confirmed: only SOME money. Not all of it. Including a fairly large amount that was sitting right by the computer (which the killer used and sat at). This has always told me the killer had his own money (or at least wasn't there to steal) but at the last moment, decided to take some perhaps to steer police away from his true motive. Perhaps also explaining why he seemingly ransacks only parts of the house. Maybe he was looking for something specific. Or maybe he was simply trying to make it look like that. Because I've never understood why he would dump documents and ID cards into the bath...

 

[tes1984]

3. Also, and I don't know anything about schizophrenia, but doesn't that normally manifest in your 20s? The police seem adamant the killer was as young as 15 on the night of the murder
4. He hasn't struck again *that we know of*

What if the killer is early 20s, rather than a 15 year old? Then perhaps
the manifestation of mental illness becomes more plausible.

The USA has a massive backlog of unsolved crimes, unmatched fingerprints, untested DNA kits etc. I don't expect him to have committed other crimes though. I think he was unbelievably lucky to get away with killing the Miyazawa family.

 

[Warwick1991]

What if the killer is early 20s, rather than a 15 year old? Then perhaps
the manifestation of mental illness becomes more plausible.

The USA has a massive backlog of unsolved crimes, unmatched fingerprints, untested DNA kits etc. I don't expect him to have committed other crimes though. I think he was unbelievably lucky to get away with killing the Miyazawa family.

Although paranoid schizophrenia often emerges in the early 20s, it also happens with younger individuals. I had a relative who had paranoid schizophrenia emerge when she was 14.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

What if the killer is early 20s, rather than a 15 year old? Then perhaps
the manifestation of mental illness becomes more plausible.

The USA has a massive backlog of unsolved crimes, unmatched fingerprints, untested DNA kits etc. I don't expect him to have committed other crimes though. I think he was unbelievably lucky to get away with killing the Miyazawa family.

Yes, entirely possible. The official range the news gave in an update a few years ago I think was 15-early 20s.

I think he was both lucky and he had a fairly solid plan, despite the incredible risk. He new he had a way out of the country, if I'm right, that local LE didn't have access to. He knew the military base is a safe haven. And so long he never returns, he probably knew the TMPD wouldn't come calling if he was hiding in America or some such. It's been 23 years and either way, that's proved right so far.

 

[fridaybaker]

Faceless, how goes it with the Duolingo? Have you been able to make enough headway in 150 days to have any sort of useable Japanese at this point?

 

[Auntie Cipation]

The bag was Japanese, made sometime after 1995 in the Osaka region. Yet it contained, seemingly, sand grains from the Mojave Desert. I do not think it was a large quantity of sand. However, only the killer's DNA was found on the bag. Meaning, it's almost certainly him that has been to the Mojave

I'm not sure this follows for me.

It seems far more likely to me that someone put something sandy in the bag, than that they put actual sand in the bag intentionally.

Couldn't he have been sent a little sand-bottle souvenir from the Mojave Desert? Death Valley visitors center gift shop? Or an interesting rock or shell etc taken from the area, that had a bit of sand stuck to it?

Unless there is other evidence pointing to his having actually travelled, it seems more likely to me that he simply had in the bag something that contained some of the sand from the Mojave. It could even have been something he borrowed or stole!

MOO

 

[Charlot123]

RSB
Traces of sand were found in the murderer's fanny pack that they left behind. I encourage you to listen to the podcast as it does a great job of analyzing what the killer wore, left behind, etc etc down to the likely make/model/. Whoever murdered this family left an abundance of DNA behind it almost feels like a caricature in itself that the most illuminating piece of evidence (thus far IMO and purely IMO) is the sand that suggests a very specific part of a specific desert in the USA. Again, the pod goes way more into detail of the science of this

It's December 31st as I type this, and in 2000, the family was waking up to the news of their dead family. Why would someone do this at all, much less a holiday? Who is missing this person as the holidays ween down?

Respectfully, I did read everything in the beginning, and I am going through the podcast (call me podcast-challenged, I read faster so I need to organize listening to a podcast while doing something mechanical at the same time. If @FacelessPodcast writes a book, I'd definitely buy and read it ). However, @FacelessPodcast also posted a lot about the case, only it has been dragging on for so many years with nothing happening, naturally, one forgets the details. The reason I thought it was a "weighted hip pack" was because of its interesting form - more square. Google weighted backpacks or vests or blankets for kids with ASD, they are very popular today but were not an issue in 2001, so I thought, maybe one came up with a calming idea for himself. If the killer coming from the US is one of valid ideas, then maybe one can find out where he could have lived before coming to Japan, and what specialists he could have seen?

There are some questions I ask myself about the murderer. For example, he used Drakkar, a nice smell for its time. Not necessarily it is due to him liking to smell well. I have met people who were very sensitive to a nice smell and even proceeded with making own perfumery. Also, young people are usually more sensitive to smell in general. I have also met an otherwise unaffected colleague with congenital anosmia, who humorously asked us to warn them if they were not smelling well. And this is what I am thinking about - if sensitive to perfumes, how could one spend a long time in a house with so many unpleasant smells? I see two options:
1) he did not stay in the house for too long
2) or, he did stay long, but could the setup be totally opposite? He uses Drakkar in general because he won't be able to tell when he is starting to smell, but in fact, he suffers from anosmia, or hyposmia?

Anosmia - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

(I have to look specifically through every condition that can cause anosmia. Some are interesting).

I think the perpetrator has quite a number of odd traits. Maybe he was persuaded to stay in the house because of the physical trauma only. I can imagine him sleeping after a profuse discharge of emotions. Eating? Hardly likely unless there is something wrong with your olfactory nerve.

(I am not going to go through all smells, but think of all - mixed in a small house where one person has been strangled, and three, brutally stabbed. I hope that Haruko being 70, she was partially spared of intensity of the smell, as the olfactory nerve gets older with age, but a man of 15-20 with normal smell would be very much affected. So I am trying to sort out what that man could have. We don't know his face, nor even the race, but something about him we can probably guess, even now. BTW, I think if he were local and mafia-connected, he's be dead a long time ago, such a liability).

 

[Charlot123]

I can't actually answer too much on this, Charlot, but I will say that my gut feeling is that you're on to something here. People who have dismissed the idea of a link with Yokota / Edwards have merely pointed to coincidence. But coincidence never sat right with me. 2 + 2 = 4.

I believe the perp did indeed live on base in Yokota with a possible previous visit to Edwards in California.

As from what went missing in the house, what is confirmed: only SOME money. Not all of it. Including a fairly large amount that was sitting right by the computer (which the killer used and sat at). This has always told me the killer had his own money (or at least wasn't there to steal) but at the last moment, decided to take some perhaps to steer police away from his true motive. Perhaps also explaining why he seemingly ransacks only parts of the house. Maybe he was looking for something specific. Or maybe he was simply trying to make it look like that. Because I've never understood why he would dump documents and ID cards into the bath...

I think he could live on Yokota base, and if so, then maybe previously on any air base in the US with a travel to Edwards base with a parent? Not sure he was a "momma's boy" literally, maybe even a child of divorce? Him ironing his handkerchief might be also a sensory sign if he used them often. The fact that he didn't use paper napkins/handkerchiefs popular in the US is interesting, though.

 

[Charlot123]

Yes, entirely possible. The official range the news gave in an update a few years ago I think was 15-early 20s.

I think he was both lucky and he had a fairly solid plan, despite the incredible risk. He new he had a way out of the country, if I'm right, that local LE didn't have access to. He knew the military base is a safe haven. And so long he never returns, he probably knew the TMPD wouldn't come calling if he was hiding in America or some such. It's been 23 years and either way, that's proved right so far.

You know, to me it says that either the Miyazawa family was 100% targeted (I have different versions of why, but the most obvious, the perp. thought he had some biological tie to the family, because his relatives lied to him), or he wanted to know how it would feel to be a killer, knowing they'd leave Japan soon. Somehow, his behavior in the house points more to version nr. 1. He was looking for some document, made a folder for it, only to realize that it didn't exist. Maybe later he found out that the story he was fed was a lie, and now lives not only in fear, but in denial, as he killed absolutely innocent people. But this is my thought for today.

 

[Charlot123]

I have a channel open with the Chief but we're not in constant contact. Basically, it's through a translator who needs to be paid. For that to happen, there basically needs to be a season 2. The Chief would be more than happy to discuss this case with me but we need that bridge between us. (That's why I'm on day 150 of Japanese Duolingo!)

Zoom meetups for Japanese learners, they have people from Japan and all over the world. The best way is through immersion.

Japanese groups | Meetup

Find Meetup events so you can do more of what matters to you. Or create your own group and meet people near you who share your interests.

www.meetup.com

You can find Japanese meetup groups in the city where you live as well. Just Google international meetup for Japanese. There are tons of English-Japanese mutual enrichment groups, they are probably attracting more young people from Japan, but if your first language is Spanish, you'll find a good group, too.

 

[Charlot123]

Here is what I was thinking about for a long time. Sleeping in a house where you murdered four people - is it common? If he did, then he may struggle from a REM sleep disorder.

(Sleep disorders became my interest when I realized that we spend 1/3 of our life in sleep.) So... Maybe falling asleep after killing four people is the norm. Or maybe it is the symptom of mild cataplexy, that is, an element of narcolepsy. Narcolepsy is an incredibly interesting condition; type I has 3 elements (sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucination (lucid dreams) and cataplexy - loss of muscle tone or falling asleep after intense emotional exhaustion). Type II has only 2 elements (sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations).

Several things have been found out: 1) REM sleep can burst into daytime so not all hallucinations are nocturnal; if you suddenly see a bizzarre apparition it may not be schizophrenia at all; 2) cataplexy doesn't need to be intense or frequent; 3) narcolepsy is often accompanied by lower sensation of smell

Olfactory dysfunction in patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy is restored by intranasal Orexin A (Hypocretin-1)

Until recently, olfactory dysfunction was an unknown feature of narcolepsy. Orexin A, also called hypocretin-1, is abnormally decreased or undetectable in

academic.oup.com

Now, here is an interesting thing.

Narcolepsy affects 0.16% TO 0.18% of the general population in Japan and 0.02% to 0.06% of the population in the United States and Europe. (Probably more carry the gene as it is a rare condition - autosomal dominant but with incomplete penetrance. But, the two genes linked to narcolepsy are more prevalent in Japan). Don't read the whole article, it is just proof that statistically, narcolepsy is 4 times more common in Japan than in US or Europe.

Anti-Tribbles Homolog 2 Autoantibodies in Japanese Patients with Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy is a sleep disorder characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy. The association with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DQB1*0602 and T-cell receptor alpha locus suggests that autoimmunity plays a role in narcolepsy. A recent study ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[dms]

I have a channel open with the Chief but we're not in constant contact. Basically, it's through a translator who needs to be paid. For that to happen, there basically needs to be a season 2. The Chief would be more than happy to discuss this case with me but we need that bridge between us. (That's why I'm on day 150 of Japanese Duolingo!)

Season 2 would be lovely. I binged the podcast in one day and was sorry it was over.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Faceless, how goes it with the Duolingo? Have you been able to make enough headway in 150 days to have any sort of useable Japanese at this point?

Not too bad! If the Chief wants to discuss if he swims often or if his sister likes to read books on the weekend, then we're good. However, I fear I'm not quite at the level to go into great detail about murders. But step by step...

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I'm not sure this follows for me.

It seems far more likely to me that someone put something sandy in the bag, than that they put actual sand in the bag intentionally.

Couldn't he have been sent a little sand-bottle souvenir from the Mojave Desert? Death Valley visitors center gift shop? Or an interesting rock or shell etc taken from the area, that had a bit of sand stuck to it?

Unless there is other evidence pointing to his having actually travelled, it seems more likely to me that he simply had in the bag something that contained some of the sand from the Mojave. It could even have been something he borrowed or stole!

MOO

Well, it sounds like it's not just sand from the Mojave Desert but specifically from in or around Edwards Airbase. That area is closed to public and heavily controlled by the military. So, however that sand got into the bag, the coincidence remains. We're talking about someone who was in or about one USAF airbase, who I believe is likely linkable to the airbase in Tokyo. And if he is a Japanese local, what was he doing out there? I've been to that region. There is basically zero of interest to a tourist out there...

Also, there was no other DNA found on the bag. So, if he borrowed or stole it, there would be the logic problem of him cleaning it in such a way that removed all other genetic traces from it but somehow left sand in it.