crime

3 children, mother fall to deaths from 14th floor of Chiba condo

52 Comments

Police in Yachiyo, Chiba Prefecture, said Sunday that a 35-year-old woman and her three children, aged 2, 6 and 7, fell to their deaths from the 14th floor of an apartment block.

According to police, the incident occurred just before 6 p.m. Saturday. TBS quoted police as saying that the family did not live in the building but resided about two kilometers away, and believe the mother may have thrown the children to their deaths first and then jumped.

Police said they received a call from a passerby saying that four persons had apparently fallen from an apartment complex.

Police rushed to the scene and found the bodies of Kyoko Kozu, 35, her 7-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter and 2-year-old son. The mother's body was found on the ground, with the two older children on top of the entrance roof, while the two-year-old was found stuck in branches of a nearby tree. They were taken to hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Police said they found a bag containing Kyoko's belongings on the 14th floor stairwell.

Kyoko's 32-year-old husband was at work at the time of the incident and police said they are questioning him about what might have motivated his wife to kill herself and their children.

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52 Comments
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Using the word "fall" is a bit misleading...

14 ( +17 / -4 )

That's horrible for the husband. Not only are his wife and kids suddenly dead, but the cops haul him in for questioning.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

Rest in Peace to the three innocent little angels. What a horrifying end to their short lives. The child-killer has destroyed so many people's lives - and that was likely her intention.

2 ( +7 / -5 )

Nothing else has been proven.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I really hate seeing such stories like this as there must have been a better way for her to solve her problems. I don't understand what kind of twisted logic a mother uses to convince herself that murdering her kids is the solution.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Mother of the year again. Why must we always read about these insane people 'taking their children with them'? If you want to commit suicide and seriously cannot seek help, please leave the innocents alone. I don't know what kind of relations Mr. Kozu had with his family and/or whether it played a part, but to come home and find this, and then be questioned by police... geez. RIP to the little ones.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

Let's have a campaign about "Suicidal people who kill their children" instead of some crap about manners or Let's Safety Drive! Except it would probably just involve AKB in a romantic drama skit..

6 ( +8 / -2 )

I feel sick. RIP

6 ( +6 / -0 )

"they are questioning him about what might have motivated his wife to kill herself and their children." It sounds pretty reasonable for any police in any country to me. Cops are not being unreasonable. I know someone who killed himself in a similar fashion in Japan and there wasn't any unreasonable interrogation towards the person's spouse.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Sounds like revenge to me.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

I'm trying to picture this incident in my mind. I'm wondering why the kids wouldn't run away, etc.

-6 ( +0 / -6 )

Misleading title!!! I was expecting to read something like a balcony came loose or a railing broke. It clearly seems that this was not am accident so to say "fell" is quite misleading. I am trying to avoid reading about parents killing their kids and this just made me sick.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

JHC, I was feeling rather happy after a nice father's day... how selfish can a person be? Beyond belief, murdering your own children, like this.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I think some of you have never seen someone with serious post natal depression. It can make a mother do things which are almost unbelievable. These women need help. The Japanese medical system doesn't seem to cope very well and rely more on the family to support women with problems. I know it makes us all shudder with horror when we see stories like this, but my first reaction is total sympathy for the woman to have got into such a state to do such an awful act. Google post natal depression and you will see what I mean.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Very sad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

People need to lose the stigma over mental illness.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Major mental issues there. Not to say I can understand it if a mother cannot handle a newborn without help, but to kill your kids after you have got to know them for a few years is excruciatingly sad to read about. Words fail me.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

The mother and her children may all have been thrown off the balcony by another person for all anyone knows at this point.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

RIP kids.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hope JT wukk dig more details. How they got in this apartment house. If locked, where the mother found the key? Moderator is right, Nothing is proven, LEA has to question the occupant of the Apartment House. Relationship with the apartment occupant and family. Hope JT will write follow up investigation result. How mothwer found this apt, chooses to die from this particular apt. Relationship with the Apt occupant and her husband, etc.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

FizzBit: "Sounds like revenge to me."

Absolutely no evidence to suggest that, but even if it were 'revenge', obviously the children suffered as a result. What a horrible scum of a human being this woman was. Doesn't matter the reason. You don't do that to innocent children, let alone your own flesh and blood.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Just too much stress and depression what with life here becoming difficult what with three small kids..

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I too wonder why the kids don't run! Especially when three are involved... Sad day indeed!

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

They fell/jumped/were pushed from the stairwell, not an apartment.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

They don't run because it's their mother. Someone they ultimately trust.

I'm all for questioning the dad. How clueless can you be? Seriously if her spouse has was the least bit close. He would have sensed it

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

That's horrible for the husband. Not only are his wife and kids suddenly dead, but the cops haul him in for questioning.

OK, so tell me detective, are they supposed to pick up the bodies and just let things go? Like, oh well, just another woman with young kids falling off of a building.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I am at a loss for words. Whose fault is it in the world?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Money? betrayal? dissatisfaction? Lord knows why

1 ( +1 / -0 )

believe the mother may have thrown the children to their deaths first and then jumped.

Fall is the wrong word, this is a selfish stupid mother.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

about 10 years ago, saw the same situation, the mom with her little 2 kids jump in front of the coming train in Ichikawa, fast forward, 6 years later, our neighbor decided to murder all his family members, all 3 children ( in elementary), his wife, and his parents and committed suicide because of financial burden....

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

gogogo wrote:

Fall is the wrong word, this is a selfish stupid mother.

And exactly how, pray tell, do you know that? Do you have some evidence that the rest of us do not?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

First of all what awake up call for Father's Day to read this!!!! Ok let say this we don't know. Far to often we read mother kills kid in suicide etc this seems like the norm in Japan. We don't know who did what some people here are quick to judge and wonder why that's perfectly ok to wonder but the mother and children are dead just because the mother was found dead with the children lets not call this a "apparent suicide" until we can hear more. RIP to the mother and her children

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I use to teach English in Japan for seven years six years ago. It was nice sharing my culture as a black American teacher with them, I still love those people. It's sad that this is still going on in Japan, mothers and father's murdering themselves and there kids. I blame this on the greedy Japanese government that doesn't do nothing to help poor families support there kids. They want there population to increase, but you have to help your people in bad economical times. Japan is expensive and inflated, you can't go anywhere without train money. Start helping single mothers with assistance and housing. Apparently, her husband might not been a good man.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"Apparently, her husband might not been a good man."

From this article, I don't see how it can be determined that the husband is a good or bad man, or that the incident was the result of family finances. Maybe, a follow-up article will shed more light on this terrible tragedy.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Sheeesh people throw the first stone rather quickly here. Be patient and lets see what exactly happened here.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Smith

"If you want to commit suicide and seriously cannot seek help, please leave the innocents alone."

The person who does this cannot imagine any way out, cannot imagine seeking help. That is rather the material point.

This kind of thing will always happen. That is the tragedy. But society can reduce the times this happens in two ways:

Educate the public about mental illness in general. People in Japan commonly think only the nut jobs need psychological counseling.

Educate the public about depression in particular. Increase the availability and social acceptance of psychological counseling, hot lines, etc.

I think we've all seen, in Japan and in our own native lands, more than enough people who were falling apart at the seems. I'm from the US, and when I've seen such people, I've recommended they talk with a professional, or see their pastor or rabbi or whatever. When I make mention of such things to a Japanese national, they look at me like I'm crazy.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I know several cases where the husband spend most of his time and most of his money on Pachinko and leave the wife struggling financially with kids , behind my house there are 2 mothers works night shift to make money and the husband is part timer with few working hours a day ... sure that makes the mother stressful

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

If this was suicide, this woman completely disgusts me. WHY? Why kill your kids??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sounds like instead of immigration reform, Japan needs mental health checks, and remedial lessons in child care to sort out the "declining population" problem.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

We rented a high rise condo above Karuizawa and for some reason I knew something must have happened there in the past. When I asked, sure enough some mentally ill woman had committed suicide with her son by jumping off the balcony. Sad, sad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

hakubaJun. 15, 2014 - 07:17PM JST I think some of you have never seen someone with serious post natal depression. It can make a mother do things which are almost unbelievable.

Two years of PPD is hardly normal.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

some mentally ill woman had committed suicide with her son by jumping off the balcony

I can't imagine how people can do this? Do they think they're doing their kids a favor by killing them, or are they so morbidly selfish that they feel they need to wrap their kids up in their on misery...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If it's ok to speculate that it was post-natal depression, then it's equally ok to conjecture that the wife, on hearing from the lips of her husband the terrible words "it's over, I've found somebody new" decided upon the Samson option of punishing her husband in this way.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Can't guess in the motivation, very sad to hear may they RIP. Hope the Father gets some counseling, feel sorry for him. Parents weren't all that young.

Noticed something most families I see tend to have 1 or 3+kids, few 2 kid families when compared. Not sure if family size might be a factor as the larger ones tend to live in houses rather than rented apartments.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Juan Rodriguez: "Be patient and lets see what exactly happened here."

What happened is a mother threw herself and three children off a building and they're all dead. What could possibly be any sound excuse for murdering your children? And to suggest she didn't is ludicrous; no children that age commit group suicide. It makes absolutely no difference what her reason for doing so was, she was scum, and the children are dead as a result. It's a tragedy that people become desperate enough to kill themselves, but that they kill others with them is horrendous.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

So sad and tragic, poor kids, RIP little angels... :(

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Sad story.

Interesting how ppl are always quick to judgement based on little info. As someone said above, we don't know if they were pushed or not. Also, several ppl are saying "poor Dad," well, maybe, but my first thought was he might be some kind of monster they were trying to get away from. Of course it is sad with Japan's social services and volunteer organizations the way they are, there is no where for battered women to get support (and escape).

Another person was thumbed down for saying something about the need to be able to get help if you have mental problems, why thumped down, I do not know. Mental health support is something else lacking here IMO.

There's all kinds of things I can imagine which do not make it less tragic, but they make it a less black and white morality tale. "Crazy mom," "Bad mom," is possible, but I find it too simple and too easy a conclusion. Something is going on here. Anyway,

In short, we just don't know.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What happened is a mother threw herself and three children off a building and they're all dead. What could possibly be any sound excuse for murdering your children?

Being pushed by someone. I mean that wouldn't be the first suicide, but that wouldn't be the first murder either. The police investigates for a reason.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

How depressing.... RIP little kids. It makes me shudder to even think of something so..... sick.... and what would the kids have said to their mother if they could all speak and knew what was going on? Tragic.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Poor kids :(

1 ( +1 / -0 )

this is terrible.. RIP to the three kids :(

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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