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Fukuno Sasaki was an elderly woman who was killed during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and following tsunami, with her remains later being discovered separately in 2013 and 2014.
She was identified in early October 2021.
Case[]
On 22 November 2014, a right femur was discovered at an industrial waste recycling company in the area of Myogasawa, Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, from debris retrieved from Shizugawa Bay, near Minamisanriku.
In June 2021, authorities began reviewing materials regarding unidentified remains linked to the disaster for its 10th anniversary. During this review, they discovered the femur matched pelvic and other bones that were found in 2013 by a fishing trawler in the sea between Ogatsu Bay and Oshima Island, close to Kesennuma and were currently being held by the Miyagi Coast Guard in Ishinomaki. Following a mitochondrial DNA analysis, Miyagi Prefectural Police were able to identify the remains as 92-year-old Fukuno Sasaki of Ishinomaki. Other data, including circumstances surrounding where and how the remains were found, also narrowed down the identification.
Sasaki had been reported missing by her family not long after the disaster and was theorized to have been swept away in the waters of the tsunami while trying to evacuate from her home. Her remains were returned to her family on 30 September and 4 October.
Sources[]
- The Mainichi
- Yahoo! News Japan (Japanese) (archived)
- Kahoku Shimpo (Japanese)
- Kochi News (Japanese)
- The Great East Japan Earthquake on Wikipedia