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Arrest Made in 1999 Nagoya Murder After DNA Match and Suspect's Surrender

Police say the 69-year-old acknowledged the allegation after blood from the scene matched her DNA.

Overview

  • Aichi Prefectural Police arrested Kumiko Yasufuku, 69, on suspicion of killing 32-year-old Namiko Takaba after Yasufuku voluntarily went to a police station on October 30.
  • Investigators say preserved bloodstains from the apartment matched the suspect’s DNA, which led to her detention on October 31.
  • At a news conference, the investigations chief said Takaba’s husband expressed gratitude for the work and said he was still processing the development.
  • Authorities report that Yasufuku was a high school classmate of the victim’s husband, and officers are continuing interviews as the motive remains unestablished.
  • The case drew more than 100,000 investigator deployments and a reward offer, while the husband kept renting the crime scene and advocated for abolishing time limits on murder prosecutions.