Overview
- Police identified the victim as Akiko Ogawa, 42, a company employee who lived alone in the third-floor unit.
- Firefighters entered via the balcony because the front door was locked and found Ogawa lying face-up on a bed in a bedroom where burn damage was concentrated.
- Investigators say the autopsy found death by neck compression and assess that the room was set on fire after the killing.
- A resident reported hearing a loud crashing sound before white smoke and a burning smell were noticed, and police are checking any link to the crime.
- Two days earlier, officers briefly detained an intoxicated man who had banged on Ogawa’s door, though police decline to say whether he is connected to the case and have announced no arrests.