ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido—Police arrested two young females on suspicion of murdering a teenager by knocking her off a bridge, the latest in a series of crimes apparently stemming from a social media photo, sources said.
Riko Uchida, 21, who is unemployed and from Asahikawa, Hokkaido, and an unemployed 19-year-old who also lives in the city, are suspected of killing Runa Murayama, a 17-year-old high school student from Rumoi in Hokkaido.
According to police, the two suspects, who were already in custody when they were arrested on June 12, caused Murayama to fall from Kamui Ohashi, a bridge spanning the Ishikarigawa river in Asahikawa’s scenic Kamui Kotan district, on April 19.
A relative of Murayama filed a missing person’s report with Hokkaido police on April 22.
In late May, Murayama’s body was found in the river downstream of the bridge. The autopsy revealed the cause of death was drowning.
Police had earlier arrested Uchida three times since late April on suspicion of extortion and confinement of Murayama.
Three teenagers were also held on suspicion of complicity in those crimes.
Uchida has told investigators that her photo was uploaded on a social networking site by Murayama without permission, and that caused friction between the two, sources said.
On the evening of April 18, Uchida, upset over the photo, conspired with a 16-year-old male acquaintance to make a false accusation against Murayama on social media, and also to extort money and goods from the student, according to the sources.
In early May, police arrested Uchida, the 16-year-old acquaintance, the unemployed 19-year-old, and a 16-year-old female acquaintance of Uchida.
Based on their statements, police suspect Uchida later on April 18 summoned Murayama to a location in Rumoi and confined her inside a car until the following day.
In the early hours of April 19, Uchida and the 19-year-old female took Murayama to the bridge and forced her to fall into the river, the sources said.
The bridge is located in a gorge about 15 kilometers southwest of JR Asahikawa Station.
The area is called Kamui Kotan, which means “god’s village” in the Ainu language. It is known as a scenic spot lined with oddly shaped rocks.
AloJapan.com