Police Search Home of Deceased Kyoto Boy

Nantan, Kyoto Pref., April 15 (Jiji Press)--Police on Wednesday searched the home of an 11-year-old boy in the city of Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, western Japan, on suspicion of body abandonment, after he was found dead in a forest area in the city earlier this week following his disappearance last month.

The Kyoto prefectural police apparently believed that the compulsory search of the home was necessary based on the circumstances related to the discovery of the body and the fact that several items seen to have belonged to the victim, Yuki Adachi, were found at distant locations. They have been proceeding cautiously with the investigation, including questioning relatives.

Police investigators began arriving at the home in investigative vehicles from around 7 a.m. Wednesday. They were seen measuring the width of a road on the premises with tape measures and entering a structure believed to be a storage shed.

They also took photographs of the garden and trees. A wide area around the site was cordoned off with police lines. The probe continued into the afternoon. The mysterious disappearance of the boy has drawn wide media coverage and public attention.

The body of Adachi, a student at Sonobe Elementary School in Nantan, was found lying face up in the forest area about 2 kilometers southwest of the school around 4:45 p.m. Monday, according to the police.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]