CHIBA —

The family of murdered British woman Lindsay Ann Hawker left Japan on Wednesday after a three-day stay to call again on the Japanese public for any information that could lead to finding her killer, who is still at large a year after the death of the 22-year-old in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture.

The Hawker family were briefed on the progress in the search for suspected killer Tatsuya Ichihashi, 29, on Tuesday and handed leaflets and tissue packets containing a picture of Ichihashi at Gyotoku station and Nishifunabashi station in Chiba Prefecture.

The family also held a candlelight vigil for Lindsay at a bar in Ichikawa Tuesday night with about 50 people participating.

On March 26 last year, Lindsay’s naked body was found in a sand-filled bathtub on the balcony of Ichihashi’s apartment in Ichikawa by police officers.

Ichihashi managed to escape from the officers, who had called at his apartment after the language school Lindsay worked for reported to the police that she was missing.

On Tuesday, the Hawkers and about 30 police officers handed out some 10,000 leaflets and 3,000 tissue packets containing Ichihashi’s picture at Gyotoku station in Ichikawa city. 

William Hawker, the 55-year-old father of Lindsay, his wife and two daughters said, ‘‘Please find this man,’’ in Japanese as they handed out the leaflets and tissues to people.

While they were handing out leaflets at Gyotoku station, a girl who said she had been a student of Lindsay at an English school walked up and gave Hawker a card that read, ‘‘Dear Lindsay, rest in peace.’’

Hawker hugged the girl and cried. ‘‘I feel very warm,’’ he said afterward. ‘‘I think it’s a credit to Japanese society that somebody so small can speak so well.’’

He also said the family has received numerous letters of support from former students of Lindsay and they are kept with Lindsay’s other belongings at their home in Britain.

Several former co-workers of Lindsay, dressed in T-shirts with Ichihashi’s picture and a message saying ‘‘Can’t sleep till he’s caught’’ in Japanese, also joined the family.

Takuya Ohata, 21, from Ichikawa, who received a leaflet said, ‘‘It’s very painful to see a bereaved family working this hard to find a killer in a foreign country.’’

‘‘I hope the police catch the killer soon,’’ Ohata said.

© 2008 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

6 Comments

• 

  jeancolmar at 08:25 AM JST - 26th March

  Best of luck to the Hawker family. If anyone finds Tatsuya Ichihashi it won't be the lazy and stupid Japanese police.

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  romulus3 at 10:04 AM JST - 26th March

  They really should work with interpol. It would seem hes flown the coop. Japanese police are so uselss. a couple of people get sick eating gyoza and their most intelligent detectives are sent to China, English girl mudered and Cheif Wiggum, Lou and Eddie get the case.

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  Desiderata1967 at 12:09 PM JST - 26th March

  Well said Jeancolmar!

  These idiot cops send 400 police cars and a thousands of officers after ONE man for hitting a cop in the face, but only 12 to a possible murder scene.

  And while the morons in Okinawa protest the US prescence, no one protests the shootings, stabbings and child killers - all Japanese people by the way - and simply blames foreigners for every wrong doing.

  J-cops are a joke!

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  bushlover at 12:26 PM JST - 26th March

  Des what's the diff? 400 or 12 or 9 or 1. Any number of cops in japan couldn't catch a turtle in a rabbit race. They remind me of flies on flypaper actually. But I will give them credit. They sure can take care of a wallet for a few hours. You get every insignificant scrap of paper back. you gotta weigh the good with the bad.

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  Ultradude at 04:16 PM JST - 26th March

  Don't waste $ on flights and hotels, hire a private eye. Perhaps they've done so already but that is the obvious choice since the local 5-0 seem to be vexed by this dastardly villian.

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  zaichik at 05:02 AM JST - 27th March

  Did anyone see the news that it's suspected that Ichihashi's father committed suicide last September? It was reported in the Daily Telegraph, but allegedly, Japanese privacy laws prevent anyone finding out for sure.

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