16th April 2026 – (Nantan) Police in Kyoto Prefecture have arrested the 37‑year‑old father of an 11‑year‑old boy whose body was discovered in a wooded area of Nantan City, western Japan, earlier this week.
The boy, Yuki Adachi, disappeared on the morning of 23rd March while on his way to school. His body was found on 13th April in a forest roughly two kilometres south‑west of Sonobe Elementary School. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of death.
Investigators detained the father shortly after midnight on Thursday following a search of his home and hours of voluntary questioning. According to Japanese media reports, he has admitted to abandoning the child’s body and was quoted as telling officers: “There is no mistake — I did it.”
Police allege that the suspect disposed of the remains sometime between the morning of 23rd March and the afternoon of 13th April. Officers are seeking formal charges on suspicion of abandoning a corpse.
Earlier, the father had told police that he drove his son to school at around 8am on the day he vanished and that the boy went missing after getting out of the car. However, closed‑circuit television footage from the area did not capture the child’s arrival. School staff noted his absence at around 8.30am and informed his parents before midday.
A large‑scale search involving approximately 1,000 personnel was launched across the city. On 29th March, the boy’s yellow school rucksack was found in a mountainous area about three kilometres west of the school. His body was later located lying face‑up in woodland, with no obvious external injuries. The man who drove the child to school was believed to be his stepfather, following the boy’s mother’s remarriage last year. Police have not officially confirmed that detail.
AloJapan.com