NANTAN, Kyoto Prefecture—Investigators searching for an 11-year-old who disappeared three weeks ago found a body in the city on April 13, sources said.
They are now working to determine if the corpse is the missing boy, Yuki Adachi, the sources said.
The body, apparently of a child, was found a day after a pair of children’s shoes were discovered in a mountainous area between Adachi’s home and his elementary school.
The discovery had been the first significant clue uncovered in the investigation since Adachi’s school bag was found nearly two weeks ago, the sources said.
The shoes resemble those that Adachi, a student at Sonobe Elementary School, was wearing when he went missing in late March, the sources said.
The prolonged investigation has spread anxiety throughout this nature-rich region, located about an hour’s drive from Kyoto city.
On April 8, Sonobe Elementary School began its new academic year without Adachi, now a sixth-grader.
Parents, volunteers and education staff have begun standing along school routes to watch over students during their commute. And the community had expressed optimism that Adachi would be found safe.
“When Yuki comes back, please work together as a class so you can welcome him with bright smiles,” Principal Takeshi Ashikari said at the school’s opening ceremony.
In response to the boy’s disappearance, the city’s board of education is considering installing more security cameras at local schools.
Kyoto prefectural police have also increased patrols in the area and will continue to have officers monitor students as they travel to and from school for the time being.
According to police, Adachi’s father said he dropped him off at the school’s after-school care facility on the morning of March 23.
However, Adachi’s homeroom teacher marked him absent during attendance.
A review of security cameras at the school did not show any footage of Adachi walking toward the building during that time. No other sightings of the boy have been confirmed.
On March 29, a relative of Adachi’s found his yellow school bag in the mountains about 3 kilometers west of the school.
Police on April 7 widened the search and checked a forest and buildings near Adachi’s home in the Rurikei tourist area. They found no new clues.
By April 13, 1,000 officers had been involved in the search, and police have received 360 tips from the public.
AloJapan.com