Body in River Identified as Suspect in Hyogo Murder Case

Kobe, June 4 (Jiji Press)--A body found in a river in Hyogo Prefecture was identified as that of the 42-year-old wanted suspect in a murder case that took place in the western Japan prefecture last month, the Hyogo prefectural police said Thursday.

In connection with the investigation of the case, in which a 74-year-old mother and 52-year-old daughter were killed in the Hyogo city of Tatsuno, the police confirmed through DNA testing and other examinations that the body found in the river in the city was that of the suspect, Kenji Oyama.

Oyama was placed on the public wanted list on May 24 for allegedly killing the daughter. The body was wearing pants that were similar to those described by witnesses.

"It is true that clarifying a potential motive has become difficult," a senior official of the police department said, adding, "We hope to reveal it through further investigation."

The police plan to send papers on the dead suspect to the Himeji branch of the Kobe District Public Prosecutors Office in Hyogo on suspicion of murdering the mother and daughter.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]