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Okiharu Iwata was a man who was discovered wrapped in a blanket and dumped in a warehouse in the Yahagi neighborhood of Bando, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. His hands had been severed from his body in an attempt to prevent identification.
He was identified in 2011.
Case[]
On 21 April 2005, Iwata's body was discovered inside the warehouse of a closed gas station in Bando, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. He had been wrapped in a blanket and bound with adhesive tape. It was determined he had been strangled to death with a string or an object similar to it. He was estimated to have been deceased for approximately 2 weeks to 1.5 months, showing signs of advanced decomposition.
On 19 October 2011, Katsuhiko Saito of Saitama Prefecture was arrested on suspicion of theft after withdrawing 170,000 yen using a cash card under someone else's name in June. He then voluntarily confessed to two murders - the man found in Bando, Ibaraki Prefecture and a Chinese woman whose remains were found inside a plastic case inside a car he usually drove. It is believed that Saito conspired with another man, who is now deceased, and strangled Iwata in Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, in March 2005 in order to collect his pension. He would then dump Iwata's body at the warehouse in Ibaraki Prefecture. Saito would end up taking 1.22 million yen from Iwata's account. He was sentenced to life in prison for both murders.
Characteristics[]
- Medium to obese physique.
- Blood type B.
- Short graying hair measuring between 2-3cm.
- Appendectomy scar.
Clothing[]
- White short-sleeved undershirt.
- Light blue jeans.
- White socks.
Sources[]
- Ibaraki Prefectural Police (Japanese) (Archived)
- Dorosuki (Japanese)
- Nikkei:
- Article #1 (Japanese)
- Article #2 (Japanese)
- Article #3 (Japanese)