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

[eddie_van]

- Bloody footprints were found heading towards the front door. Important to note they were in the direction going to the front door specifically. This is the biggest indicator that he left through the front door and not the bathroom window or balcony.

well that's pretty big news. i thought there were no bloody footprints on the first floor at all and it was a big mystery how he exited the house.

 

[Incoherent]

well that's pretty big news. i thought there were no bloody footprints on the first floor at all and it was a big mystery how he exited the house.

The TMPD released their official position on this in December, saying that he entered and exited via the bathroom window. However they did not say it with 100% certainty, just that the “possibility is high”.
They also confirmed that fibres were found around the bathroom window.

Bloody shoe prints were found in the direction heading towards the front door as well as by the bay window in the living room. It could just mean that he was checking the door and window in case anybody heard anything or were outside. But there were also traces of something found in the entrance right in front of the door. It hasn’t been confirmed what it is but it is labelled differently to the foot print markers.

What’s crazy is that very the first phone call you hear in that documentary is of An’s husband (not his real voice) telling the police (real voice) there were bloody foot prints heading towards the front door. And yet for decades the information was that there were none.

 

[eddie_van]

They also confirmed that fibres were found around the bathroom window.

okay that's good to know too. it never made sense to me that no fibers were found on the bathroom window. so it's looking likely that he entered via the 2nd floor bathroom window and exited out the front door. ideas regarding the balcony as an entrance were a red herring.

 

[Lalalacasbah]

What’s crazy is that very the first phone call you hear in that documentary is of An’s husband (not his real voice) telling the police (real voice) there were bloody foot prints heading towards the front door. And yet for decades the information was that there were none.

RSBM: so the husband stated what has now been confirmed/publicized, is that right?

So TMPD kept that close to the vest for decades? Or are you hinting the husband was in the house the next morning and not just the grandmother?

 

[Eliver]

RSBM: so the husband stated what has now been confirmed/publicized, is that right?

So TMPD kept that close to the vest for decades? Or are you hinting the husband was in the house the next morning and not just the grandmother?

Except for Ann's son, all three of them (Haruko, Ann and Ann's husband) were in the house that morning, at some point.
It was not a new information. It has been always known.

 

[Incoherent]

okay that's good to know too. it never made sense to me that no fibers were found on the bathroom window. so it's looking likely that he entered via the 2nd floor bathroom window and exited out the front door. ideas regarding the balcony as an entrance were a red herring.

I would not dismiss the balcony entirely from being used somehow.

RSBM: so the husband stated what has now been confirmed/publicized, is that right?

So TMPD kept that close to the vest for decades? Or are you hinting the husband was in the house the next morning and not just the grandmother?

One of the first things he says on the phone call is that there were bloody footprints heading towards the front door. That they were there was known before the police even showed up. For some reason, this detail has never been confirmed up until now.

Except for Ann's son, all three of them (Haruko, Ann and Ann's husband) were in the house that morning, at some point.
It was not a new information. It has been always known.

Correct. Haruko went up to the second floor and touched Niina and Yasuko, An went in as far as the middle of the staircase and describes seeing Mikio and the body of Niina, An’s husband stayed on the first floor up to the staircase, and the teenager was in the entrance.

 

[Eliver]

I would not dismiss the balcony entirely from being used somehow.

RSBM: Agreed. Nothing tells us that this was not a possibility.
Especially after the police has withheld information for such a long time (and still not commenting about the bloody footprints towards the entrance).

 

[FacelessPodcast]

RSBM: Agreed. Nothing tells us that this was not a possibility.
Especially after the police has withheld information for such a long time (and still not commenting about the bloody footprints towards the entrance).

Exactly this. They've never mentioned Rei's balcony despite it being the least problematic theoretical entry point. That there were fibres in the bathroom window doesn't confirm anything beyond him touching it. He could've simply stuck his head out of the window to scan the area after the murders to see if the alarm had been raised.

I'm on record for the last 2/3 years here (and elsewhere) underlining my respect for the efforts of the TMPD in this case. I know first-hand how much work they've put in. But in terms of the communication of facts / their beseeching the public for information, it has been lamentable. I appreciate that 24 years is a long time and the guard changes -- with that comes different ideas or ways of working. But to release 'new' information now, more than two decades on, and somehow only further confuse timeline for the public? It's honestly difficult to understand. That's not just my opinion. See the comments from the Japanese public on news articles online, youtube, social media etc. The sad reality is that by knowing more today than we did a few months ago, we're actually somehow sure of less. Lamentable.

 

[eddie_van]

Exactly this. They've never mentioned Rei's balcony despite it being the least problematic theoretical entry point. That there were fibres in the bathroom window doesn't confirm anything beyond him touching it. He could've simply stuck his head out of the window to scan the area after the murders to see if the alarm had been raised.

I wonder if there's a method to analyze the placement of the fibers that tells which way he went through the window.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

I wonder if there's a method to analyze the placement of the fibers that tells which way he went through the window.

All JMO: If there is a method, it eludes the TMPD. Given that they say they 'believe' he entered and exited a certain way, I would assume not. Otherwise it wouldn't be a question of belief.

He also took out the fly screen from the window, too. Not to mention there were footsteps behind the house, in the area below and around the bathroom window. So, either he's incredibly athletic and can somehow drag himself up that (thin) wall without making any noise in clear contradiction to the reconstruction carried out by the TV studio. Or simply touched the window frame at some point from inside. Perhaps the screen itself obfuscated his view of the rear while he was trying to check for threats. He might've cut it out to get a better view. Or he might've climbed up to the window from the outside, cut out the screen, and only THEN realised there was no way in without making noise given there was a full bath below and he would logically be going in head-first (as per the reconstruction). Worth noting also that the screen was found propped up against the outer wall abutting the park. I believe that was the TMPD who placed it there. Perhaps unimportant but it tells you first responders weren't adverse to moving pieces of evidence. Could speak to the uncertainty still lingering today.

At any rate, all this is essentially and unfortunately moot. The TMPD *still* aren't clear on how the killer entered of left. I've not seen a single post or statement here (or elsewhere) that would make the killer climbing out of that second floor window to exit with a bleeding hand remotely conceivable, let alone probable. So, accepting this, either he left by the front door or Rei's balcony. That we're MORE unsure in early 2025 than we were in early 2024 says everything about the way this has all been handled.

 

[eddie_van]

At any rate, all this is essentially and unfortunately moot. The TMPD *still* aren't clear on how the killer entered of left. I've not seen a single post or statement here (or elsewhere) that would make the killer climbing out of that second floor window to exit with a bleeding hand remotely conceivable, let alone probable. So, accepting this, either he left by the front door or Rei's balcony. That we're MORE unsure in early 2025 than we were in early 2024 says everything about the way this has all been handled.

I think it's almost definite he left through the front door. Why risk causing a scene by exiting in a weird way? The whole issue of whether or not the front door was locked never struck me as interesting, because can't you just lock the door from the inside before you exit anyway? The door being locked doesn't mean he didn't exit via the front door. Or is there something special about Japanese front doors that I'm missing?

I agree which way he entered is still questionable.

 

[Incoherent]

Re: front door. If he left that way then the door would have been left unlocked as there is no auto-lock system when it closed. Turning the lock from the inside and leaving would just mean the door wouldn’t even close at all. This means that Haruko would not have needed a key to open it and could simply pull it open. Unfortunately she did not remember whether it was locked or not and has already passed away. In the documentary during the initial phone call the police do ask An’s husband specifically if the door was locked or not and he responds “I didn’t open it so I don’t know”. And that is as far as that goes.

However previously I mentioned seeing a photo in the documentary multiple times of the entryway by the front door. There is something there on the floor labelled differently to the bloody footprints, which are labelled with numbers, and the bodies, which are labelled with English letters.
Apologies as the picture is taken from my TV, but see here:

Circled are what seem to be drops of blood or blood stains. They are labelled using Japanese katakana but oddly only show 3 characters ウエオ. This is like labelling something “C, D, E” with “A, B” missing or not shown. It could mean the A and B are outside the front door. I’m doing a lot of assuming here but it’s possible there were drops of blood outside as well, coupled with footprints heading towards the front door this tells a different story to what the TMPD suggest.
JMO.

 

[cenazoic]

But in terms of the communication of facts / their beseeching the public for information, it has been lamentable.

When the new info first started coming out (thanks @Incoherent !) it made me wonder how you’re feeling about the reliability of the information you’ve been given in the past. Has your thinking about the case changed in any significant way?

 

[Incoherent]

Worth noting also that the screen was found propped up against the outer wall abutting the park. I believe that was the TMPD who placed it there.

RSBM: I am beginning to believe this too. There is a section in the documentary that discusses the failures of the first people on the scene. It shows how they didn’t wear gloves and also trampled on the killers footprints, knocking the protective casing sideways. There were some choice words used.

The insect screen sitting so perfectly perched against the outer side of the fence does not look like it simply fell that way, but was in fact placed.

 

[Little Jack]

I just watched an episode of Unexpected Killer on oxygen that had so many similarities to this case.

Redirect Notice

The killer brutally stabbed the victim and the crime scene extended all over the house. The killer then stayed for hours in the home cooking himself a meal, using the shower, using the computer of the victim. Even watched and tried to order himself things online.

There was a segment of the program where they mentioned an FBI profiler describing who the killer would be- young, loner, mentally disturbed and I forget what else.

They ended up catching the guy off a tip because he made suspicious statements to an online friend. Otherwise they'd not have caught him even though they had his DNA. It turned out he was in his early 20s and lived with his mom off and on across the street and had done odd jobs for the victim. When he confessed he said he had wanted a relationship with her and when she said no he grabbed some scissors and stabbed her to death.

Obviously these crimes are not connected but I thought reading about it or watching the episode does grant a bit of insight into who would behave this way at a crime scene as it's so utterly bizarre and unusual, and it definitely all lined up with theories presented here.

 

[Little Jack]

If the link doesnt work for you, the victim was Diane Zaleski and a google search should find details of the crime.

 

[Mandala]

Interesting profile of that killer.
I’ve always thought the killer of the family was a young male in his 20’s. Mentally disturbed but may have seemed fairly normal to others, just a bit of a loner who people might have referred to as ‘odd’. He was intelligent and calculated. A true psychopath.

 

[FacelessPodcast]

Murderer obsessed with the Miyazawa murders is jailed by Dorset court for 39 years.

Student jailed for at least 39 years for Bournemouth beach murder

 

[dotr]

Murderer obsessed with the Miyazawa murders is jailed by Dorset court for 39 years.

Student jailed for at least 39 years for Bournemouth beach murder

Post in thread 'UK - two women stabbed in Bournemouth. 34 year old dead, 38 year old seriously injured. 20YO arrested. 24 Apr 2024'

Mar 28, 2025

Criminology student who murdered woman on beach jailed for life with minimum term of 39 years​

Nasen Saadi jalied for at least 39 years for Bournemouth beach stabbings of Amie Gray and Leanne Miles

Nasen Saadi killed Amie Gray and seriously injured her friend Leanne Miles during a random attack last May.

www.bbc.co.uk

• Sarahlou

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[Charlot123]

Interesting profile of that killer.
I’ve always thought the killer of the family was a young male in his 20’s. Mentally disturbed but may have seemed fairly normal to others, just a bit of a loner who people might have referred to as ‘odd’. He was intelligent and calculated. A true psychopath.

Well, one sort of has to be mentally disturbed to stay in an empty house with four dead bodies for a night and eat around them. Such a degree of dissociation is abnormal.