Vietnamese man hints at murdering elderly woman in Saitama

A Vietnamese national in his 30s has made a statement suggesting he killed a 91-year-old woman from Iruma, Saitama Prefecture, according to investigative sources.

Acting on the man’s statement, the Saitama Prefectural Police searched a forested area in Hanno, which neighbors Iruma, on Saturday night and found the body of Kinuko Maruyama, the sources said.

The man had been arrested after driving away from the woman’s home in a vehicle. The police suspect the possibility of murder and abandonment of a corpse.

Maruyama’s daughter reported to police on Friday that the 91-year-old, who lived alone, was missing.

When officers checked Maruyama’s house, the front door was unlocked and they found that a minivehicle registered to her son was missing. Maruyama did not have a driver’s license.