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

[Incoherent]

Thanks, this is great context and yeah, it does seem to make it a bit more likely that it might be possible.

I didn’t know about the re-creation, it would be nice if they set one up under the exact conditions you described (HVAC running, bathroom door closed) with people in the presumed positions of Mikio, Yasuko and Niina when the actor entered just to see if it was possible to do it quietly enough to go unnoticed. Doesn’t seem like that would be hard to arrange.

Also I always assumed that for the killer to enter thru the window it must have been wide open rather than merely cracked (or all the way closed)—otherwise how does he open it? Hang by one hand and use the other to open it the rest of the way?

I’m only half joking in suggesting that if this is truly what happened we can pretty much narrow the suspect pool down to high-level rock climbers and actual ninjas.

Not only climb up and make it inside, he also ripped off the insect grill covering the window and threw it on the ground which in Japan are like sliding metal windows. I say it to myself every time I’m in soshigaya park and see that window - it is very small. Could someone really have climbed up there and squeezed in unnoticed? There had to have been other factors at play if he did use the bathroom window.

RSBM it just occurred to me that buried in that post was the best counterpoint to the “Rei killed last” theory that I’ve heard yet.

I knew he had a “condition” of some kind but didn’t know about the associated noises (which I’m assuming are vocalizations?)… that might make it extremely unlikely that he could remain in the house unnoticed for a long period of time while the killer bandaged himself up etc after the initial murders.

Without knowing Rei and his specific behavior patterns personally it’s impossible to say how much this trait moves the needle, but it’s possible that it moves it a LOT.

So now I’m even more confused haha

Yes, vocalisations. Ann Irie mentions on her Twitter and in posts that Rei had autism. She says in her book that Rei was unable to look people in the eyes, spoke very few words, and the noises that he made were sudden and loud.
We also know the sound proofing was installed courtesy of Mikio, so perhaps this says that Rei’s noises were loud and often enough to disturb the other side of the house to the point of needing it.

The killer using the bathroom window to both break in and escape the house makes me wonder if he had to do so because he parked his bike or his car somewhere in the direction of the back of the house or if he himself lives in that direction, for example, he needed to use the staircase to take the quickest route on foot back home?

Otherwise, besides potentially not leaving the door unlocked and thereby hint to others something was wrong, why go through the inconvenience of using that window to escape? The perp was injured, including on his hand, so I imagine hitting against the side of the window panes and putting his weight on his hand to exit such a window would have exacerbated his injuries or caused more pain? Not to mention potentially cause some of the wounds’ wrapping to come loose and lead to bleeding through the clothes?

If he wanted to avoid using the front door, there were other windows in the front he could have escaped through that would cause less stress on his body?

How many times has the perp walked the path behind Miyazawa’s home just imagining using that exact route to break in before he actually committed his horrific crime?

I agree with other commenters that he must have been pretty athletic or at least had a good upper body strength to make that stretch to pull his whole person through that window?

JMO

I agree that he must have felt forced to use the window for some reason if he did indeed enter and exit via it.
The back of the house was actually much more well lit than the front was. The kid’s park had several street lamps in it, so did the skate park to the right, so did the road immediately in front and to the right. There was also a police box metres away. There was even a lamp shining on the bathroom window, but to what degree the strength of the bulb was back in 2000 is up for debate.

However back then the path by the river at the Irie side didn’t have any light at all, and if the killer ran down that away from the kid’s park he would have been in complete darkness. This river path also directly leads to the back of the house already inside the park fence.
A slightly ominous photo here shows some weak attempt at blocking it post-murder.
But by going up to the house on this path he was under cover of darkness and could have simply walked behind the house without being seen.

This next image here shows you the positions of the street lamps. The yellow denotes the park lamps and the red are the road lamps, which I assume were higher strength.
Notice the path by the river and the front of the house having no light at all?

Re: your point about a car or a bike, it’s still also my opinion he had some way to get away that wasn’t on foot.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

2. (And this actually might be even less likely) the killer does this, and in doing so also is 100% sure that nobody in the house heard him.

Because I’d think if he thought there was even a small chance he was heard, whether he actually was or not, it would have immediately turned this into a blitz attack in which Mikio was killed first.

RSBM and jumping off your post - another reason this is sounding more and to me like an intentional murder and house wasn't random.

If meant to be random, I'm sure there were many semi "isolated" type homes with all the lights off and signs occupants were asleep and/or could've waited until prime attack time (or so they say) from 1am - 3am (3am particularly IIRC they say is a best time to attack).

This attacker must've known people were awake and still was determined enough to risk even the noise startling them awake and/or to confront the adult(s). He just didn't care and was willingly to risk it. OR he wanted them awake (adults) to see who he was if it was personal, which I think it was.

Same if the window was indeed the entry - he was determined and didn't seem phased by a possible altercation.

Then to sit around after seems so possessive to me... arrogant and didn't seem to really care almost if caught as it was worth it (justified?) to him. I almost think the clothes were a costume possibly, specifically bought for the murder... a red herring but maybe not. MOO

 

[Incoherent]

@Lalalacasbah definitely not random at all in my opinion. The killer was determined to end all of their lives and did so.

The TMPD have not managed to find a motive in 24 years, which to me does put the Miyazawas in the killer’s crosshairs - but only briefly. Perhaps even only momentarily. But I do believe they were chosen by him.
If we look at the jobs that Mikio and Yasuko had and where it took them, perhaps even taking Ann and her husband’s into account too, I believe this put them in his path. JMO.

As for his clothing and accessories it was all on sale at the time, or stopped being sold a month or two before, besides the hip bag. If I recall correctly his hip bag stopped being sold January of 1999.

 

[cenazoic]

The perp was injured, including on his hand, so I imagine hitting against the side of the window panes and putting his weight on his hand to exit such a window would have exacerbated his injuries or caused more pain? Not to mention potentially cause some of the wounds’ wrapping to come loose and lead to bleeding through the clothes?

This is the part that makes the ‘no blood on the tub/window’ bit really strange/seemingly unlikely.

 

[Incoherent]

This is the part that makes the ‘no blood on the tub/window’ bit really strange/seemingly unlikely.

I agree, but he was also carrying around cabinet drawers up and down the stairs with his injured hand and I’m unsure he could’ve done that one-handed.
So perhaps the injury was not as severe as suspected, or he was able to patch himself up with the sanitary pads and bandages so well that the blood was contained.

A discarded sanitary pad was found next to Mikio’s computer with an ice cream cup so it suggests he likely re-dressed the wound at least once before leaving. MOO.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Hello friends and listeners. Posting this early as I may be travelling on the anniversary itself:

I used to think that I would commemorate the Miyazawas each year until their murderer was found. (This will be my 15th following the case). But I realise now, even after the coward is apprehended, that I will continue to remember the family at this time of year. It heartens me to know that many of you who visit here do the same.

If alive today, Yasuko and Mikio would be close to retirement. Niina and Rei, well into adulthood. Perhaps even parents. Setsuko and An would be at peace, enjoying visits from them, never having to know the Chief’s name, or mine. That is the world we ought to be living in.

At a time when many of us gather with family, I humbly ask for you to spare a thought for them. And for your hope that truth will illuminate the darkness in which the coward has hidden for so long.

Nicolás

 

[FacelessPodcast]

just briefly to touch upon recent points:

*The TMPD now ‘believe’ the killer entered and left by the bathroom window. They do not say why (and have faced public derision as such, it seems). I can tell you that this belief is not total within LE. I would expect the word to be “now KNOW” he entered and exited that way, not believe. I personally find it still incredibly difficult to fathom his entry as such, let alone his exit. That second point is almost laughably implausible and we are offered nothing in support for this sudden and unexplained change of faith from the TMPD. Plus ça change.

*RE: the killer’s motive. If he didn’t have the objective of killing the Family, he almost certainly planned to kill someone. As IMO evidenced by his get-up, the bag carrying a hole in it to better fit the knife (which he was willing to plunge into the faces of innocents and children). Some believe he was merely lurking and things went awry. That they went awry is clear. But if he was merely skulking, looking for a burglary, what points to this objective? Going on 3 years here, I’m yet to see one solid argument for that.

*Rei being last to die. While this is counter to TMPD assurance (and logic), it’s still within the realms of possibility. However, the killer would have to manually strangle the child with bleeding hands. We might say he cleaned them and managed to strangle without any new blood touching the boy or the bedding. Well, that seems hugely implausible for one and runs counter to trying to keep the element of surprise in the sequence of murders. (Also it ignores that his footsteps in the blood don’t show him standing over the bed in order to strangle the boy). But let’s say it happened that way. Why? I suppose the answer is; who can know the killer’s mind. My own view is that the TMPD are right here and the boy was first.

*RE: the TMPD saying they believe the front door was now locked as Haruko entered. Maybe, so. But how did they discover this, 24 years after the fact. When the only person who could’ve known couldn’t remember in the shock and has now long passed? As I’ve said many times, I cannot and will not denigrate the work of the TMPD. But their communication is lamentable.

 

[Eliver]

Hello Nic, thank you for your words, I also felt like paying respect to them a couple of pages ago. Rei and Niina were basically my age and I just can't stop thinking about them when I come back to this case.

Very quickly: what do you make of the police saying that the phone line was cut (or unplugged, or whatever)? I think I remember quite clearly you said here (or was it the podcast perhaps?) the phone line was left untouched. Why comment on this now? What difference does this make in your opinion, since you dealt with them first-hand?

 

[AppleTreeGreen]

Is there a way that the perp could have known about Mikio soundproofing the house before he committed the brutal murders of the Miyazawa family?

I was just wondering if the perp was aware of the soundproofing could possibly explain why he didn’t leave almost immediately after the horrific attacks? An Irie, her husband, son and mother were right next door. How was he certain they didn’t hear their neighboring family members’ cries, screams or shouts as they were attacked or Mikio falling? Was there possibly any evidence that he tried to barricade the front door, kept walking back and forth towards the front windows to check or carried around a knife or other weapon with him in the case of the possibility they did overhear what was occurring next door and would come by to check on them? What about the possibility of them not even just checking but calling for LE assistance beforehand? Instead of just leaving immediately after taking care of his injuries why the perp feel secure enough to take the risks of taking time to look through the family’s belongings, going on the computer, changing, folding and stealing clothes and eating when there are possible witnesses next door who could walk over, try to intervene, alert the police and thus increase the chances of him getting caught?

And if the perp was aware of the soundproofing, how? Has he been in the home before? Did perhaps for some reason he or one of his own family members have a conversation with one of the parents or their family members about it before? How close was he to the family or by how many degrees was he actually separated from them personally?

However, the killer would have to manually strangle the child with bleeding hands.

I wonder then too if it is possible that the perp was aware that Rei had autism and was nonverbal? Could that also perhaps explain why that he chose to strangle Rei instead of using his knife because he aware that Rei wouldn’t be able to shout the words “burglar”, “help” or “someone’s here/someone broke in” to alert his family members? Perhaps the use of the knife denotes or signifies not only the perp’s rage but also sense of urgency to incapacitate his victims and to do so quickly in the likelihood they fought back or attempted to call for help? Strangling takes time and strength and the perp had a knife available to him. The perp could have used it to strike in areas, like the neck, chest, back, axillary area, that would have led to Rei being killed, unable to move or shout for help. Considering that Rei was asleep and vulnerable at the time his attack started the killer unfortunately already had the advantage over his victim and it is possible he would have conserved even more strength and time had he chosen to attack with the knife instead. However, perhaps because the killer aware that Rei was autistic and nonverbal he falsely assumed he would be less likely to fight back or resist and that he wouldn’t have worry as much about him shouting and alerting others thereby decreasing the perp’s sense of urgency and causing him to choose strangle Rei with his own hands so that he could save the knife for when the “real fight” began. In other words, the perp may have falsely assumed that Rei would be an easy victim to kill and keep quiet even without the use of a knife because he was autistic and nonverbal.

The perp could have possibly not only underestimated not only how much strength and time it took to strangle someone but Rei’s own strength and willingness to fight or struggle for his own life considering that according to what I’ve read and learned so far, even when unable to speak, the child was able to make enough noises or even grunts to alert his father, who was likely coming up the stairs in response to the sounds of distress coming from his son.

 

[Incoherent]

@AppleTreeGreen it would explain a lot more of his actions and make more sense if he did know the family and what he was getting himself into, right?
Rather than just attribute his actions during and after to pure madness, which it could also be after all if he really was just a teenager, if he did know the family and there was some kind of plan then he felt more confident in what he was doing and that’s why he did it the way he did and didn’t run after.

But the TMPD haven’t managed to find any connection at all in 24 years.

Re: your first point, there was a sign that he was checking to see if anyone was going to come due to the curtains on the living room window being pulled aside at both ends and left messy.
See here:

Apologies for the slightly blurry image taken from the footage, but does it look to you like he has been hastily ripping the curtains back several times to look outside? I don’t think the family would have left their curtains looking like that. To me it shows he was checking and did so several times.

 

[Incoherent]

Some more news out of Japan this past weekend.

The Chief organised a meeting this past Saturday with members of the police, former investigators, and groups of people that are the victims of murder, to show an interview Nic has done with Parabon NanoLabs in the US discussing facial reconstruction using DNA and how this could be used in the Setagaya case in Japan.

This meeting and interview Nic has done has been broadcast nationwide on the news here in Japan and shown to millions in an effort to inform and push the usage of DNA in such cases.

You can see an upload of the full interview with Nic, The Chief, and Ryushi here:

And you can see a snippet of Nic on the Nippon TV news here:

One more step forward.

 

[Eliver]

Honestly, this is amazing. So this is what Nic's been cooking up.

If I were the killer I'd start my pants right now.

 

[atomicsciencegal]

Nic is always on the ball. Alert, aware, and correct.

 

[KentuckyMama]

Hello friends and listeners. Posting this early as I may be travelling on the anniversary itself:

I used to think that I would commemorate the Miyazawas each year until their murderer was found. (This will be my 15th following the case). But I realise now, even after the coward is apprehended, that I will continue to remember the family at this time of year. It heartens me to know that many of you who visit here do the same.

If alive today, Yasuko and Mikio would be close to retirement. Niina and Rei, well into adulthood. Perhaps even parents. Setsuko and An would be at peace, enjoying visits from them, never having to know the Chief’s name, or mine. That is the world we ought to be living in.

At a time when many of us gather with family, I humbly ask for you to spare a thought for them. And for your hope that truth will illuminate the darkness in which the coward has hidden for so long.

Nicolás

You have a good heart. I have been following this case and will continue to hold out hope that they will get justice. I wish all victims had someone like you. I have no doubt that when the coward is found, it will be, at least in part, due to you. Thank you for all the time you've put in on this.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

@Lalalacasbah definitely not random at all in my opinion. The killer was determined to end all of their lives and did so.

The TMPD have not managed to find a motive in 24 years, which to me does put the Miyazawas in the killer’s crosshairs - but only briefly. Perhaps even only momentarily. But I do believe they were chosen by him.
If we look at the jobs that Mikio and Yasuko had and where it took them, perhaps even taking Ann and her husband’s into account too, I believe this put them in his path. JMO.

As for his clothing and accessories it was all on sale at the time, or stopped being sold a month or two before, besides the hip bag. If I recall correctly his hip bag stopped being sold January of 1999.

I'm still pondering if the clothes were the killer's true clothes or a distraction to create a phony demographic.

He kinda came with a kill kit (knife, knife wrapping, hip bag to conceal, etc.) so he was prepared to a point. If he fantasized or had this murder in head awhile, I am doubting he would wear his own fashionable/trendy clothes no?

I also think to the Lindsay Buziak murder which is local to me (Vancouver Island) where one of suspected murderers (the woman) wore a very loud, patterned gaudy-type dress so anyone witnesses who may have seen them only seem to recall the dress and not the face - so a good decoy so to speak.

The Miyazawa family was murdered at night though, so different. But curious thoughts if clothing was purchased specifically to create an image for the murder of the murderer's actual real clothes.

I still ask myself... who wears a hat and scarf to commit murder? Seems like props in a way. MOO JMO

 

[Rukasu the Question]

here is the link to mikio's website: https://web.archive.org/web/20001002020449/http://nagao.com/preview.html

 

[Incoherent]

Re: location of the bathroom light, I rewatched a video of when the press were inside and spotted it above the shelves.
So I’m unsure what it is in the window photo I posted.

Also a very unnerving angle in this picture…

 

[Lalalacasbah]

here is the link to mikio's website: https://web.archive.org/web/20001002020449/http://nagao.com/preview.html

Thanks for this and welcome! The links don't work for me (?) Anything you can see on there that jumps out?

 

[Lalalacasbah]

Re: location of the bathroom light, I rewatched a video of when the press were inside and spotted it above the shelves.
So I’m unsure what it is in the window photo I posted.

Also a very unnerving angle in this picture…

View attachment 552809

Great catch! So still a mystery sounds like... Would it be a reflection of a street light on in the early morning? I have to go back to look at the original pic.

Also, what is that square box thing on the ceiling above the light? Is that access to the attic?

No way the attacker came in through attic at all hey? I don't know all the layout details so forgive me if a dumb question

 

[Eliver]

Great catch! So still a mystery sounds like... Would it be a reflection of a street light on in the early morning? I have to go back to look at the original pic.

Also, what is that square box thing on the ceiling above the light? Is that access to the attic?

No way the attacker came in through attic at all hey? I don't know all the layout details so forgive me if a dumb question

The attic is where Niina and Yasuko were sleeping and where they were attacked for last the first time (the second time was down the retractable ladder leading to the attic, and the ladder's thud was what the neighboring sister heard sometime around 23).
The access is not in the bathroom, but in the corridor outside of it that you can see in the picture Incoherent posted.