SAPPORO – Two women were arrested Wednesday on suspicion of murdering a high school girl in April by forcing her off a bridge into a river in Hokkaido, northern Japan, police said.
Riko Uchida, 21, and a 19-year-old woman were served with fresh arrest warrants for allegedly causing 17-year-old Runa Murayama to fall 10 meters from the girder of a suspension bridge into the water in a mountainous area of Asahikawa on April 19, police said.
Police suspect the incident occurred after the victim posted a photo of Uchida on social media without her permission. The police did not disclose the relationships among the three or whether the suspects have admitted to the allegation.
Photo taken on June 12, 2024, shows a bridge in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, where two suspects allegedly killed a high school girl by causing her to fall into a river. (Kyodo)
The two suspects, who have been arrested on suspicion of non-consensual sexual misconduct against Murayama, are believed to have threatened her, locked her up in a car and taken her to the bridge, police said.
Uchida has also been arrested along with a 16-year-old boy for allegedly threatening Murayama and taking her money on April 18, while Uchida, the boy, the 19-year-old suspect and a 16-year-old girl have been apprehended on suspicion of locking the victim up in a car from April 18 to 19.
The victim’s body was found downstream of the river in late May after she was reported missing by her relatives on April 22. The cause of death was drowning.
AloJapan.com