A 41-year-old man, Noriyuki Iimori, was arrested on March 21 in Osaka Prefecture on suspicion of murdering his niece, police confirmed.
The girl’s body, believed to be that of a six or seven-year-old at the time of her death, was found inside a metal case filled with concrete, dumped in the city of Yao, Osaka Prefecture.
Iimori had previously been arrested on charges of abandoning the body. According to police sources, he is now suspected of murdering his older sister’s daughter sometime between late 2006 and 2007.
The girl’s mother had abandoned her, leaving the child with Iimori. The suspect then took the girl into his care.
An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was internal bleeding resulting from significant force applied to the girl’s abdomen. Investigations are ongoing as police continue to gather evidence in the case.
