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Jailed Akita mom tells court lover choked her 4-year-old son for more than 10 seconds
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A woman jailed over the killing of her 4-year-old son appeared at the trial of a 44-year-old man accused of murder in the same case and told the Akita District Court that her lover choked the boy for at least 10 seconds. The woman, 32-year-old Mika Shindo, made the comments on Tuesday as she appeared as a witness in the trial of 44-year-old former part-time high school worker Hiroshi Hatakeyama, who is accused of murdering Shindo's 4-year-old son Ryosuke in Daisen, Akita Prefecture. "Hatakeyama hit Ryosuke with an aluminum coffee cup and when he lost consciousness, he choked him for at least ten seconds," Shindo said. She said that after Ryosuke went limp, Hatakeyama told her, "I don't want to take him to a hospital because this will get found out. Make out that you were responsible for everything." He reportedly added, "If you take him to a river or somewhere like that nobody will know about it." Shindo said that Hatakeyama had also told her, "I'll take care of you for the rest of my life," suggesting he was offering to marry her. （Mainichi Japan） November 6, 2007 Man denies beating and leaving for dead the boy who interrupted his sex
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A man accused of leaving his lover's little boy to die after a beating meted out for interrupting their car sex denied the allegations against him as his murder trial opened at the Akita District Court. Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 44, denied murdering Ryosuke Shindo, the 4-year-old son of his lover, Mika Shindo. "I was not violent with little Ryosuke at all. And I didn't order Mika to do anything," Hatakeyama, a former high school employee, told the court as his trial opened on Friday. Defense lawyers admitted Hatakeyama was with Shindo and Ryosuke in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, at the time the boy died in October last year, but denied their client had been violent or conspired to commit murder. Lawyers for the defense argued that earlier admissions of guilt by Hatakeyama had been brought about by brutal police coercion while he was being questioned, including being punched in the head and having photos of Ryosuke thrust before his face. During his arraignment hearing in November last year, Hatakeyama told the court that Ryosuke had been crying so loudly it drove him into a fury and he punched the boy so hard he didn't know what sort of effect it would have. Defense lawyers at the murder trial, however, said Hatakeyama had made these statements because he was terrified of the violence police inflicted on him during questioning, so he could not tell the truth to prosecutors or judges. Prosecutors told the court on Friday that Hatakeyama and Shindo had been making love in a compact car parked in Daisen when Ryosuke, who was in the back seat, woke and started attacking Hatakeyama because he thought the man was assailing his mother. Prosecutors said Hatakeyama smashed Ryosuke in the face with an aluminum can, then throttled him until he was unconscious. Fearing trouble with the police, Hatakeyama suggested to single mother Shindo that he would marry her, then ordered her to dump her unconscious son "in a river or somewhere," prosecutors said, quoting the suspect. Shindo did as she was told, leaving her still breathing 4-year-old boy in a rice paddy drain, where he later died, police said. Shindo has already been convicted of murder in the case and is serving a 14-year sentence. She is due to appear as a witness in Hatakeyama's trial when it re-opens on Nov. 6. （Mainichi Japan） October 6, 2007 Woman convicted of son's murder retracts appeal against 14-year sentence
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A woman convicted of conspiring with her boyfriend to murder her 4-year-old son has retracted her appeal against a 14-year prison term handed down on her, court officials said. Mika Shindo, 32, filed an appeal with the Akita branch of the Sendai High Court against the Aug. 6 ruling, but retracted it on Monday, according to the officials. Since the deadline for filing an appeal has already passed, the 14-year prison term will be fixed and Shindo, who is now at a detention center, will be transferred to a prison to serve her term. Shindo and her boyfriend beat her 4-year-old son Ryosuke in a car parked at a parking lot in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, in October last year, according to the Akita District Court ruling. After the victim lost consciousness, they dumped him into an irrigation canal, leaving him there to die, the court found. (Mainichi) August 31, 2007 Woman convicted of infanticide appeals 14-year jail sentence
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A woman who murdered her infant son has appealed the 14-year prison sentence that a district court handed down to her earlier this month. Mika Shindo, 32, filed the appeal with the Akita branch of the Sendai High Court against the lower court ruling that convicted her of murder. In October of last year, Shindo hit her 4-year-old son Ryosuke in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, before her boyfriend Hiroshi Hatakeyama bashed the boy in the head with an aluminum flask and choked him, causing him to black out, according to the Akita District Court ruling. They then dumped him in a farm ditch and left him there to die, the lower court found. (Mainichi) August 18, 2007 AKITA: Mom gets 14 years for son's murder
The Asahi Shimbun The district court here Monday sentenced Mika Shindo, 32, to 14 years in prison for the murder of her 4-year-old son Ryosuke last October. Prosecutors had sought a 15-year term. Presiding Judge Toshiro Fujii called the slaying an "extremely selfish crime." According to the ruling, Shindo and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 44, knocked the child unconscious and strangled him in a parked car. Shindo then dumped the boy in an irrigation ditch at Hatakeyama's prodding, where he drowned. Hatakeyama's trial in the case starts in October. (IHT/Asahi: August 7,2007) Woman gets 14 years for killing son who interrupted her passionate romp
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A woman who took part in a deadly attack on her 4-year-old son after the boy saw her in the arms of her partner and became alarmed was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment in a ruling at the Akita District Court on Monday. Convicted of murder was 32-year-old Mika Shindo. According to the ruling, Shindo was making love with her partner Hiroshi Hatakeyama, a 44-year-old former part-time high school janitor, in their car at a roadside station in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, at about 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 last year, when her 4-year-old son Ryosuke, who had been asleep in the rear of the vehicle, woke and started kicking up a fuss. In response, Shindo slapped the boy, while Hatakeyama bashed him in the head with an aluminum bottle and choked him, causing the 4-year-old to black out, the court said. The couple then dumped the boy in a farm ditch, and left him there to die, the ruling said. Hatakeyama is standing trial on charges of murder over the fatal attack (Mainichi) August 6, 2007 Evil Akita couple killed son for interrupting sex in car
The Mainichi Shimbun A compact car in a parking lot. A man and a woman making love in the front seat. The man licks the woman's breasts. She gives a squeal of ecstasy. Her cry wakes the little boy sleeping in the back seat. The boy thinks his mother is being attacked. He starts hitting the man. The lovers respond with fury. The result is, according to Shukan Shincho (7/5), was the start of a tragic incident that resulted in the discovery of 4-year-old Ryosuke Shindo's body in a rice paddy ditch. A month after the discovery, Ryosuke's 31-year-old mother, Mika Shindo, and her lover, 44-year-old high school janitor Hiroshi Hatakeyama, were arrested for the boy's murder. The mother's trial has recently opened in Akita. "When Mika turned up in the courtroom, she had a real hangdog look on her face and she didn't focus her eyes on any particular point," a reporter covering the case for a local newspaper tells Shukan Shincho. "Mika and Ryosuke lived in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, with her common-law husband. The lover was frequently on business trips and away from the home. Mika was really lonely, so hooked up with Hatakeyama and they become lovers on the side." Ryosuke's death occurred while Shindo's partner was on a business trip in neighboring Niigata Prefecture. On the day of the death, Mika and Ryosuke had gone for a drive with Hatakeyama, staying overnight at a love hotel. They stopped off in a cul-de-sac in Daisen. When the illicit lovers noticed the little boy had nodded off in the back seat, they began making love in the front seat of the car. And that's what triggered the events that led to Ryosuke's death. "Ryosuke wouldn't stop crying because he thought his mother was being hurt, so Hatakeyama withdrew from Mika, who turned around and punched her little boy in the face," the reporter says. "Hatakeyama then jumped in, smashing a can of coffee into the boy's face any number of times, then throttling him until he stopped breathing." Ryosuke was still breathing at this stage, but it wasn't going to last much longer. "Hatakeyama was worried that he was going to get caught for bashing Ryosuke, so he convinced Mika to dump the boy. He told her that he was about to be made a full-time employee and that she could go and live with him as long as she promised not to tell anybody he was involved in the boy's injuries," the reporter tells Shukan Shincho. "Mika believed him and hurled Ryosuke into the rice paddy ditch and they left him there." Shindo had a history of being used by men, including one fireman lover she tried to woo by setting a fire and ending up charged with arson. But it was a connection with another man that led directly to her arrest for Ryosuke's murder. The boy's body revealed a ring-shaped bruise on his face. It was a mark left from when Shindo had punched him. And the ring she wore at that time had been a present from her common-law husband. (By Ryann Connell) July 3, 2007 WaiWai stories are transcriptions of articles that originally appeared in Japanese language publications. The Mainichi Daily News cannot be held responsible for the contents of the original articles, nor does it guarantee their accuracy. Views expressed in the WaiWai column are not necessarily those held by the Mainichi Daily News or Mainichi Newspapers Co. Mom faces 15 years in killing of son, 4
The Japan Times AKITA (Kyodo) Prosecutors demanded Wednesday that a woman be imprisoned for 15 years for allegedly murdering her 4-year-old son in Akita Prefecture last year. "It was an unimaginable and selfish crime that was committed by a mother," they said in their closing statement before the Akita District Court. Mika Shindo, 32, is accused of beating her son, Ryosuke, in the head and seizing him by the throat while with her boyfriend, Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 44, inside a car, causing him to nearly die last Oct. 23 in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, the prosecutors said. The two were angry with the boy for disturbing their date. She then left the boy in an irrigation ditch near her home at Hatakeyama's request, leading him to suffocate and die. Shindo, who pleaded guilty, apologized to the court and sought leniency. The Japan Times Mom who killed 4-year-old son in Akita faces 15 years in prison
The Mainichi Shimbun AKITA -- A mother who conspired with her boyfriend to beat and choke her 4-year-old son, and then left him to die in a ditch near her home, should be jailed for 15 years, prosecutors told the Akita District Court on Wednesday. On trial over the murder of 4-year-old Ryosuke Shindo, which took place in the Akita Prefecture town of Daisen, Akita Prefecture, in October last year, is the boy's 32-year-old mother Mika Shindo. In demanding the 15-year prison sentence, public prosecutors described the crime as "unthinkable" and "self-centered." "It was an unthinkable crime for a mother with a child, and was illogical and self-centered," a representative for the prosecution team said. A ruling on the case is due to be handed down on Aug. 6. During questioning of the defendant, Presiding Judge Toshiro Fujii showed the 32-year-old a photograph of her son soon after he was found dead, and asked her, "How do you feel now?" Bursting into tears, she replied, "I feel sorry." When the judge asked her to whom she felt sorry, she replied, "To Ryosuke." According to the charges against her, Shindo conspired to attack her son with her boyfriend Hiroshi Hatakeyama, a former part-time worker at a prefectural high school. On Oct. 23 last year, they hit Ryosuke on the head inside a vehicle and choked him, causing him to lose consciousness, the indictment said. They then allegedly dumped the boy in a farm ditch, causing him to suffocate. Hatakeyama, 44, also faces murder charges. (Mainichi) June 27, 2007 Akita woman, boyfriend indicted over killing of woman's son
Japan Today (Kyodo) AKITA — Public prosecutors on Monday indicted a woman in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, and her boyfriend on charges of killing the woman's 4-year-old son in October. Mika Shindo, 31, who is unemployed, and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 43, a part-time high school employee in Odate in the prefecture, are alleged to have beaten Ryosuke Shindo on the head and face and muffled his mouth inside a car in Daisen on Oct 23, causing him to nearly die and left him in an irrigation ditch near the woman's home to cause him to die of suffocation. The two are believed to have beaten the boy as he cried in the car where they were having a ride the previous day. © 2006 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. Child-welfare volunteer not told of murder suspect's past
The Asahi Shimbun DAISEN, Akita Prefecture--The municipal welfare office here failed to inform a child-welfare volunteer about child abuse committed by a mother who was later arrested on suspicion of murdering her 4-year-old son, sources said. An official at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said that although the Daisen welfare office was under no legal obligation to inform the government-commissioned volunteer about the mother's history, it should have at least said, "The boy must be watched over very carefully." In July 2004, a child consultation center in Akita Prefecture found that the mother, Mika Shindo, now 31, was abusing her son, Ryosuke, and trying to make him take sleeping pills. The center concluded, "If the boy continues to be abused, his life could be at risk." The center temporarily separated Shindo from Ryosuke. At the end of last year, the mother and the son moved into the home of her 50-year-old common-law husband in Daisen. In February this year, officials of the Daisen municipal welfare office who were informed about Shindo's history told the nursery school Ryosuke was attending "to pay attention to the boy's condition, especially his body (for bruises.)" However, the welfare office did not explain the situation to the child-welfare volunteer, 69, in charge of the district. In Katagami in the prefecture, where the mother and son had once lived, the municipal welfare office asked a community volunteer in charge to check for any changes in the boy's condition, sources said. An official at the Daisen welfare office said decisions to inform commissioned volunteers about a mother's past are made on a case-by-case basis. "We figured that informing the fact to the nursery school was enough," the official said. "We were told that Shindo had stopped abusing her son. We did not see any signs of abuse against Ryosuke afterward, and there was no problem in our judgment." Shindo and her 43-year-old boyfriend, Hiroshi Hatakeyama, were arrested Monday on suspicion of murdering Ryosuke. They allegedly beat Ryosuke in a car on Oct. 23 and dumped the unconscious boy in an irrigation ditch where he died. The two have admitted to the allegations, saying they became violent after Ryosuke grew cranky, police said. (IHT/Asahi: November 17,2006) Akita woman sought help from child welfare officials in 2004
FNN-News [21:18] An Akita woman arrested on suspicion of murdering her four-year-old son sought help from child welfare officials in 2004, saying she was emotionally unstable and feared she might hurt her child. Woman under arrest for killing son was ordered by boyfriend to abandon body
The Mainichi Shimbun DAISEN, Akita -- A woman under arrest along with her boyfriend for murdering her son was ordered by the man to abandon the victim after hitting him, investigators said. It was earlier learned that the woman hit her son on the orders of her boyfriend because the child yelled out during their date. Investigators suspect that the boyfriend played a leading role in the murder of the child, and are grilling them over the details of their crime. Mika Shindo, 31, and her 43-year-old boyfriend, Hiroshi Hatakeyama who worked as a high school janitor, have been arrested for strangling her son, 4-year-old Ryosuke. Investigators have learned that Shindo regularly abused Ryosuke. In May 2004, Shindo and Ryosuke were admitted to a support facility for mothers and children. While at the facility she hit her son and forced him to swallow sleeping pills before being stopped by workers. She later contacted the prefectural welfare office and told a counselor that she was mentally unstable and feared she would abuse her son. The office alerted the prefectural child consultation center, which took the boy into protective custody temporarily. (Mainichi) November 15, 2006 Akita boy beaten before he died
The Yomiuri Shimbun A woman from Daisen, Akita Prefecture, and her boyfriend, who were arrested on suspicion of murdering the woman's 4-year-old son last month, told police they beat the boy before he died because he cried when the couple were about to part after a date, sources said Tuesday. After the beating, 31-year-old Mika Shindo allegedly took her son Ryosuke, who was unconscious at that time from the abuse, in her car to an irrigation ditch near her home and left him there, where he died. Based on their depositions, the police believe Ryosuke's murder was not premeditated but impulsive. The police learned that Shindo and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, a 43-year-old part-time high school janitor from Odate in the prefecture, met at a roadside facility in Odate on Oct. 22. With Ryosuke, they went for a drive in Hatakeyama's car. Both suspects came back to the facility after 4 p.m. on Oct. 23. As they were about to part, Ryosuke started crying. They allegedly beat him on the head and face and gagged him in the car, nearly killing him. (Nov. 15, 2006) Son temporarily separated from mother two years ago due to alleged abuse
FNN-News A woman arrested on suspicion of murdering her four-year-old son was temporarily separated from the boy two years ago due to alleged abuse, according to authorities in Akita Prefecture.（21:33; Akita Television） Akita woman told housemate she killed her own son
Kyodo News AKITA -- A woman in Akita Prefecture arrested along with her boyfriend on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old son last month told her housemate that she killed her boy, the male housemate said Monday. The 51-year-old housemate told Kyodo News that Mika Shindo, 31, knelt down and touched her forehead to the floor when he visited her at a hospital on Nov. 7 and cried as she told him, ''I'm sorry. I killed Ryosuke.'' Woman under arrest for killing her son was ordered by boyfriend to hit victim
The Mainichi Shimbun (Photo) The irrigation canal in the Akita Prefecture city of Daisen where 4-year-old Ryosuke Shindo was found dead. DAISEN, Akita -- A woman under arrest along with her boyfriend for suffocating her son to death had been ordered by the man to hit the victim after the boy talked loudly while they were on a date, police said. Investigators suspect that they hit the young boy after becoming enraged when the victim created a noise, and are grilling them over the motives for their crime. Mika Shindo, 31, and her boyfriend, 43-year-old Hiroshi Hatakeyama who worked as a janitor at a high school, were arrested Monday for murdering her 4-year-old son, Ryosuke. Shindo and Hatakeyama traveled to northern Akita Prefecture with Ryosuke from Oct. 22, according to investigators. They stopped their car at a parking lot in Daisen the following evening and talked with each other when Ryosuke began to yell. On the orders of Hatakeyama, Shindo hit Ryosuke several times in the head and face and covered his mouth. After Ryosuke collapsed, Shindo abandoned him in an irrigation canal near her home in Daisen later in the day, causing him to die. Prefectural police investigators said they assaulted the victim in a fist of rage, noting that they committed the crime in a parking lot that can be easily seen by other people and that she abandoned him near her home. It has also emerged that the local government notified the prefectural child consultation center in July 2004 that Shindo may have been abusing Ryosuke. The center placed Ryosuke in the temporary custody of her parents. (Mainichi) November 14, 2006 Mom, boyfriend arrested in boy's killing4-year-old left to die in ditch
The Japan Times AKITA (Kyodo) Police arrested a woman and her boyfriend Monday in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old son, who was found dead last month in an irrigation ditch near their home. Ryosaku Shindo KYODO PHOTO Arrested were Mika Shindo, 31, and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 43, a part-time high school employee, in Odate, Akita Prefecture, in connection with the death of Shindo's son, Ryosuke. The boy was allegedly beaten on the head and the face on the afternoon of Oct. 23, then gagged nearly fatally. He was taken by car and dumped in the ditch about 400 meters from Shindo's home, where he suffocated, police alleged. The suspects, who have been acquainted for several years, have admitted to most of the allegations and said the boy was noisy, according to police. Shindo earlier told the police that her son returned home at around 5 p.m. that day but disappeared some 30 minutes later while she was preparing dinner, police said. A neighbor searching for the child found him face down in the ditch around 7 p.m. Shindo did not take the boy to nursery school that morning, claiming she, her son and Hatakeyama had planned to go to the city of Akita, according to a source. The Akita Prefectural Police carried out an extensive investigation into the death, after they came under fire for their previous probe into the slayings of a 9-year-old Fujisato girl and a 7-year-old neighbor boy last spring. Investigative sources said police began to suspect foul play after discovering a bump on Ryosuke Shindo's head and bleeding under the skin. The ditch was shallow, making it unlikely his injuries were caused by a fall. Police also consider it unlikely a small boy would wander so far from home after dark. Shindo was admitted to a hospital after being questioned by police. In the previous high-profile case, Shizuka Hatakeyama of Fujisato allegedly killed her daughter, Ayaka, 9. Police had initially concluded the drowning was accidental. Hatakeyama was later arrested in the slaying of neighbor Goken Yoneyama, 7, in May. His body was found near where her daughter's corpse was found. In October, Akita police were ordered by the prefectural public safety commission to disclose details of their initial probes into the April and May killings after drawing complaints that had a more thorough probe into the girl's drowning been carried out, the mother would have been arrested sooner and Yoneyama would not have been slain. A public child consultation office in the prefecture had received a report from someone who knew Shindo in July 2004 that Ryusuke had been abused by his mother, sources said. However, in June 2005, the office concluded that she stopped abusing the child, and welfare officials who had afterward periodically visited Shindo's home have found no problem, they said. The Japan Times Woman, boyfriend arrested on suspicion of murdering 4-year-old son
The Asahi Shimbun DAISEN, Akita Prefecture--A woman and her boyfriend were arrested Monday over allegations they beat the woman's 4-year-old son unconscious and left him to die in an irrigation ditch, police said. The boy's battered body was found Oct. 23 after the mother's relative had reported him missing. Mika Shindo, 31, and her 43-year-old boyfriend, Hiroshi Hatakeyama, a part-time high school employee in the city, were arrested on suspicion of murdering the boy, Ryosuke. The two have admitted to the allegations, saying they became violent after Ryosuke became cranky, police said. On Oct. 23, Shindo called the nursery school Ryosuke was attending and said he would be absent for the day. Shindo and Hatakeyama attacked Ryosuke in a car shortly after 4 p.m. by striking his head and face and covering his mouth with their hands. They then dumped the unconscious boy into a ditch shielded from the road by a 2-meter-high slope about 400 meters south of Shindo's home. The boy was found lying on his stomach and was later confirmed dead from suffocation. The water in the ditch was several centimeters deep at that time. Marks on the slope suggested that the boy had slipped and rolled into the ditch, but Akita prefectural police did not rule out foul play based on circumstances and the condition of the boy's body. There had also been reports about suspected abuse against Ryosuke. When Ryosuke was found, he had a lump and a scrape on his forehead, as well as several bruises on his body. Shindo initially told police that she realized her son was missing at around 5:30 p.m. that day while she was preparing dinner. She said she had returned home with her son around 5 p.m. One of Shindo's relatives called police to report the boy missing at around 6:15 p.m. There are no street lights in the area and few pedestrians in the evening so it would be unnatural for the boy to go out alone without telling his mother, police and local residents said. In addition, Akita prefectural police were extremely cautious in this case to prevent a repeat of their mistake in the investigation of a 9-year-old girl's death near Fujisato in spring this year. Police initially concluded that the girl accidentally drowned in a river after her mother had reported her missing. Only after another neighborhood boy was found murdered did the focus of the investigation shift to the girl's mother, Suzuka Hatakeyama. She was later indicted on murder charges in both children's deaths. Mika Shindo had been living with her 50-year-old common-law husband in Daisen after her two failed marriages. She started seeing Hatakeyama several years ago. A child consultation center in the prefecture was contacted after Shindo was reported to have been violent with her son when they were living together after the second marriage failed, sources said. Her abusive behavior seemed to have stopped after they moved into her parents' home in another city in the prefecture. However, when she moved to Daisen, the city government was advised that the mother and child would require attention, according to the sources. Although the nursery school and officials in Daisen city did not see any signs of abuse against Ryosuke, the city provided counseling services for Shindo because of problems with the common-law husband and other reasons, the sources said.(IHT/Asahi: November 13,2006) Neighbors say woman arrested for killing her son was quiet and had few friends
The Mainichi Shimbun DAISEN, Akita -- Acquaintances of a woman arrested along with her boyfriend for killing her son say she was a quiet woman who had few friends. Mika Shindo, 31, and her boyfriend, 43-year-old Hiroshi Hatakeyama, were arrested Monday for suffocating her 4-year-old son, Ryosuke, to death. "She's quiet. I only ever greeted her and nobody was friendly toward her," one of her neighbors said. Neighbors said they often spotted her holding hands with her son while walking her dog in the neighborhood. Her classmates and acquaintances share the view that Shindo did not stand out, was quiet and had few friends. "I barely remember her when I hear her name," her former homeroom teacher said. Ryosuke attended a nursery school, and Shindo took him to the school and picked him up by car. However, she did not become friends with any of his classmates' mothers. "Mothers often make friends with each other while their children are playing in the school's playground after school. But she didn't do so because she took her child home immediately after she came to pick him up," one of the mothers said. Born in central Akita Prefecture, Shindo graduated from a prefectural high school and worked at a textile factory. She had been living with a man in Daisen since sometime around December last year while dating Hatakeyama. Ryosuke's elder sister born to Shindo and another man was being looked after by her parents. Ryosuke was a cheerful and friendly child even though he had chronic disease, according to neighbors. "He always greeted me, saying, 'Good morning,' in a loud voice. He was a lively and cute child and didn't appear to be sick," a 38-year-old housewife near the victim's home said. At the nursery school, Ryosuke eagerly waited for his mother to pick him up, a teacher said. However, some neighbors pointed out that Shindo had regularly abused Ryosuke. The 60-year-grandmother of another child at the nursery school said she saw a big bruise on his face. When she asked him what happened, he replied, "I fell down at home." She added that she often saw injuries on his face, arms and fingers. (Mainichi) Woman, boyfriend busted for murder after her son was found dead in canal
The Mainichi Shimbun (Photo) Investigators examine the irrigation canal in Daisen on Oct. 24, the day after Ryosuke Shindo was found dead there. DAISEN, Akita -- A woman and her boyfriend were arrested Monday for murdering her infant son, who was found dead in an irrigation canal near his home here late last month, police said. Mika Shindo, 31, a jobless woman, and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 43, a part-time technician at Akita Prefectural Odate High School, are accused of suffocating her 4-year-old son, Ryosuke, to death. They admitted to the allegations during questioning. Investigators are grilling them over the motives behind their crime. At about 4 p.m. on Oct. 23, the two suspects hit Ryosuke in the head and face in a car parked in Daisen, and covered his mouth in a bid to suffocate him, local police said. They abandoned him in an irrigation canal that was 74 centimeters deep at around 5 p.m., causing him to die, according to investigators. He was subsequently found dead in the canal. Noting that neighbors reported having seen bruises on his face, police said they suspect that Shindo regularly abused Ryosuke. Shindo had initially told investigators that she noticed that Ryosuke had disappeared from his home at about 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 23 while she was preparing dinner, and then alerted police. However, as it is unnatural that such a young boy would walk about 400 meters to the irrigation canal by himself in the rain without an umbrella or a jacket. Investigators questioned her and she admitted to killing him. (Mainichi) November 13, 2006 Akita woman, man held on suspicion of killing her 4-year-old son
Japan Today (Kyodo) AKITA — Police arrested a woman in Daisen, Akita Prefecture, and a male acquaintance on Monday on suspicion of killing the woman's 4-year-old son, who was found dead in an irrigation ditch near her home last month. Police said they arrested Mika Shindo, 31, and Hiroshi Hatakeyama, 43, over the death of Shindo's son Ryosuke. Akita police have extensively investigated the case since the boy was found dead Oct 23 after they came under criticism for their previous investigations of the deaths of a 9-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy in Fujisato in the prefecture. Police believe that Ryosuke probably died of suffocation, while there was a bump on his head as well as bleeding under the skin. © 2006 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. 100 police officers assigned to investigate the case of a four-year-old boy found dead in a canal
FNN-News: Akita Television 100 police officers have been assigned to investigate the case of a four-year-old boy whose body was found in an agricultural waterway in Akita Prefecture, after an autopsy concluded that the child likely died of asphyxiation, instead of drowning as initially believed. （20:56; Akita Television） Foul play suspected after infant boy found dead in canal
The Mainichi Shimbun DAISEN, Akita -- An infant boy who was found dead in an irrigation canal here Monday night may have been caught up in foul play, investigators said. Police said the boy, 4-year-old Ryosuke Shindo, may have been involved in a crime, noting that it is unusual for a child of his age to walk out alone that late in the day and that he had cuts on his head. Ryosuke went missing from his home in Daisen at about 5:30 p.m. on Monday while his 31-year-old mother, Mika, was preparing dinner, local police said. At around 7 p.m., a neighbor who was searching for the boy found him lying face-down in the canal. He was subsequently pronounced dead. An autopsy has found that Ryosuke had suffocated to death, and he suffered cuts to his forehead. The canal was only several centimeters deep at the area where his body was found. (Mainichi) October 27, 2006 |
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