The Setagaya Family Murders: 10 Facts About The Unsolved Case

The Setagaya Family Murders: 10 Facts About The Unsolved Case

The Setagaya family murders involved the Miyazawa family on the night of December 30 to 31, 2000. The killings took place in the Setagaya area of Kamisoshigaya, Tokyo Japan.

Sadly, Mikio Miyazawa, his wife Yasuko, and their two kids were discovered murdered in their home. Three of the victims were stabbed while one had been strangled.

They were killed during a home invasion by an unidentified attacker who then stayed in the family’s home for several hours before vanishing. The killer’s DNA and numerous specific hints about their identity were discovered during a thorough investigation by Japanese police, but they have never been able to identify the killer.

1. The Bodies were Discovered by Yasuko’s Mother

After being unable to reach the family by phone on December 31, 2000, Yasuko’s mother, Haruko, dropped by to meet them, but nobody appeared to be home. She rang the doorbell and called to her daughter, then opened the door for herself, assuming that they must have gone outside and would soon return.

As soon as she walked in, she was greeted by the appalling sight of Mikio lying dead on the first floor, just close to the stairs. The distraught widow then hurried about calling her daughter and grandkids, only to discover that they were also dead.

2. Three of the Family Members were Brutally Stabbed while one was Strangled

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

The family had a normal life until they became ore of one of Japan’s most horrifying and enigmatic mysteries. The 44-year-old Mikio Miyazawa, his 41-year-old wife, and eight-year-old Niina were brutally stabbed. The six-year-old Reis was strangled to death by the killer.

Rei, who was sleeping in his second-floor chamber, was strangled by the murderer using just his bare hands, causing asphyxiation to take his life. After hearing a noise in Rei’s room, Mikio hurried up the stairs to the first floor, where he engaged the killer in combat and managed to hurt him before being fatally stabbed in the head with a sashimi knife.

The sashimi knife’s blade allegedly broke off inside Mikio’s head, and the murderer then used the shattered blade to assault Yasuko and Niina before killing them with a Santoku knife he or she had obtained from the residence, according to the police report.

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3. The Killer Accessed the House Through the Bathroom Window

Thirteen-Fri, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

A quick inspection of the residence revealed that whoever was responsible had probably cut the phone line before breaking in through a second-floor bathroom window. The murderer climbed a tree outside to gain access to the window. He then killed the others one by one with sashimi knives after first killing the boy Rei by strangling him in his bedroom as he slept.

4. The Killer Spent Several Hours at Home after Committing the Murders

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The murderer did not appear to be in a hurry to flee after killing the family. In fact, according to authorities, he spent several hours at the house, helping himself to some tea from the refrigerator and eating some ice cream.

In addition, he spent some time rooting through numerous drawers, emptying the contents into a bathtub on the second floor. He also used their toilet without flushing, shoving two handbags, Mikio’s wallet, and the house keys within.

5. The Killer Incurred Some Injuries during the Incident

The usage of a first aid kit in the residence was discovered by the authorities. Moreover, the discovery of the perpetrator’s blood throughout the property, including on a bloodstained towel he/she left behind, suggested that the killer had sustained some injuries. Also using the family computer to access the Internet, the murderer made a new folder and went to a theater’s website.

6. The Murderer Left His Belongings Behind

The murderer also appeared to have had a sleep on the sofa before changing into a fresh set of clothes. He left his old ones neatly folded on the sofa in the living room. The things he left behind were a jacket, shoes, scarf, hip bag, and the murderous tools next to them. The garments were all brand new and in excellent shape. The murderer had just this, disappearing into the night and disappearing.

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7. The Authorities Managed to Track the Origin of the Belongings

Police at a crime scene. Photo by Tony Webster-

Kanagawa Prefecture was where the different pieces of clothing he had left behind and the sashimi knife he had brought with him came from. Police could only locate 12 of the purchasers of the sweater, even though there were only 130 of that particular style ever sold.

Moreover, there were remnants of bird droppings, Japanese zelkova tree leaves, and willow leaves in the sweater’s pocket. Additionally, some trace amounts of sand recovered in the hip bag were examined and confirmed to have come from the desert near Edwards Air Force Base in California. This was strange because the bloodied shoes left behind allowed officials to determine that they were of a type, size, and brand exclusively sold in South Korea.

8. The killer was a Mixed-race male According to a study of Blood Sample

The extensive investigation that followed uncovered more hints from the copious amounts of residual material. According to blood analysis, the murderer was mixed-race with an East Asian father and a Southern European mother.

9. A search of DNA Databases Showed no Match

No matches were found after searching DNA databases. The numerous fingerprints he left behind also yielded no results.

Due to the absence of any DNA or fingerprint data, authorities reasoned that the suspect might not have been a Japanese citizen and hence would not be in the system because of his mixed-race origin.

10. The Murder Investigation is One of the Biggest in Japanese History

With over 246,044 detectives and over 12,545 pieces of evidence, the investigation into the murders is one of the biggest in Japanese history. All case-related evidence is still being held in custody. Numerous police detectives are still working on the investigation now, although they have made no progress since they first started.

Only dead ends have been found in the case. The case has never even come close to being solved, but it is still actively being pursued and is still very much on people’s minds in Japan.

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