32-Year-Old Housewife Stabbed to Death in 1999
Victim's Husband's High School Classmate Arrested
The perpetrator of a long-unsolved murder case that occurred in Nagoya, Japan, has been apprehended after 26 years. Japanese police identified the suspect after tracking down thousands of individuals using bloodstains left at the scene as a clue.
On November 2, Japanese media outlets such as Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported, "After years of reinvestigation, the police have arrested Yasufuku Kumiko, 69, in connection with the murder of Namiko Takaba, a 32-year-old housewife, in an apartment in Nishi Ward, Nagoya City, Japan, in 1999."
Namiko was found stabbed in the hallway of her apartment on November 13, 1999. Investigations revealed she died from excessive bleeding after being stabbed multiple times in the neck with a sharp weapon. Her two-year-old son, Kohei, was at the scene but was unharmed. Her husband, Satoru Takaba, 69, was out at the time of the incident.
Based on bloodstains left at the entrance and other evidence, the police publicly announced the suspect's profile: a woman in her 40s or 50s, approximately 160 cm tall, with a shoe size of 240 mm, blood type B, and possibly injured on her hand while attacking Namiko.
According to reports, the Aichi Prefectural Police selected several hundred individuals from over 5,000 people initially investigated right after the incident, focusing on those whose cases had not been thoroughly examined. The suspect was tracked down based on eyewitness statements and bloodstain analysis from the time of the incident.
Wanted poster including the suspect's composite sketch in the 1999 murder case that occurred in Nagoya, Japan. Website of Aichi Prefectural Police, Japan
Yasufuku reportedly stated that she "injured her hand at the time of the incident," which matched eyewitness accounts that "a woman was seen wrapping her hand with a handkerchief" and the bloodstains found at the scene.
On November 1, the police conducted an on-site reenactment to confirm the suspect's entry route into the apartment, her movements inside, and her escape process. It was reported that the circumstances at the scene, including where the victim was found, generally matched the suspect's statements. On November 2, the police handed the suspect over to the prosecution and began a search of her residence.
Since August of this year, the police had summoned Yasufuku multiple times for questioning and requested her DNA sample, but she refused. However, on October 30, she finally agreed to provide a sample and voluntarily appeared at the police station a few hours later. The next day, it was confirmed that her DNA matched the bloodstains found at the scene, leading to her arrest. Yasufuku is reported to have admitted to the crime.
Yasufuku was a high school classmate of the victim's husband, Satoru. While she had met Satoru at a high school reunion a year before the incident, it is reported that she had no acquaintance with the victim herself. The weapon used in the crime has not been found.
The victim's son, Kohei Takaba, 28, shared his feelings with local media. In an interview with Nagoya TV on November 2, he said, "It doesn't feel real because I haven't heard the details directly from the police," but added, "I hope my mother can now rest a little more peacefully." He continued, "For 26 years, I have lived wanting to know why such a thing was done," and "If the motive is revealed, it will bring salvation to our family."
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