Human torso found at mountain where head of missing woman found

Sunday 08th November, 12:05 AM JST

MATSUE —

A human torso was found Sunday at a mountain in Hiroshima Prefecture near the site where the head of a missing 19-year-old woman from neighboring Shimane Prefecture has been found, police said.

A joint investigation squad of Shimane and Hiroshima prefectural police said they believe the undressed torso belonged to Miyako Hiraoka, a first-year student at the University of Shimane, who went missing after finishing her shift at a part-time job on the evening of Oct. 26. Women’s clothes were also found close to the torso, but were later confirmed not to be those of Hiraoka.

The head of a young woman that has been earlier found at the 1,223-meter Mt Garyu has been confirmed to be that of Hiraoka.

The investigation squad is questioning the local people if they have seen any suspicious vehicle on National Route 186, which connects Hiroshima with Hamada, Shimane where she lived. Investigators believe her killer must have used a vehicle to carry her body because no bloodstains have been found near the site.

Investigators are also asking her friends whether the victim has been involved in any trouble.

An autopsy conducted on her head has shown that Hiraoka was killed within five days after going missing, and has confirmed signs of blows to the face. But it failed to specify the cause of death.

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Latest 15 of 20 Total Comments Show All

PepinGalarga at 03:22 PM JST - 8th November

Most of the time this type of information is kept from the public to corroborate later if there is a confession. Being that confessions in Japan are the norm (whether coerced or not) i would assume it would be better not to disclose all these details.
bobbafett at 03:33 PM JST - 8th November

Poor girl. Like anyone, I knew it would be like this as soon as she was reported missing.
nemoflow at 05:11 PM JST - 8th November

timorborder; Unless the killer lived in a relatively remote area with a decent sound proofing system in place, I very much doubt that decapitation was the cause of death. More likely, he killed her through strangulation/some other quieter less "struggly" method, then cut up the corpse posthumously for disposal.

You need to watch more 'Dexter'!
Blue_Tiger at 05:15 PM JST - 8th November

nemoflow, decapitation as the cause of death would not be impossible.

And I agree that the public doesn't need an updaste every time a body part is found. This must be horrible for her family, and I pray for their comfort and peace.
tigerguy at 09:09 PM JST - 8th November

There's so many gruesome murder stories in the news that it makes me feel wary of the quiet angry looking people in public places now.
Speed at 10:44 PM JST - 8th November

I saw on the news a few days ago, where a witness said he saw two men with her and one of them had his arm under her armpit pulling her along.
KaptainKichigai at 10:53 PM JST - 8th November

Life sure does seem to be imitating "art" in Japan. And the more "art" that gets splashed around on the news and in internet articles, blogs and opinion boards, and most importantly in popular TV programming and entertainment...the more we will see it manifested in life.
nemoflow at 11:11 PM JST - 8th November

Well yeah, cutting a head off will do it; my point was, I would have though it would have been a main vein job, draining, then transporting of the corpse to the cut up site, then massively long drive in the other direction to the dumping site.

Might be over-estimating the sophistication of the Japanese killers though, in all fairness.
DentShop at 11:30 PM JST - 8th November

The method of death could well have been decapitation. This is the country of extremely sharp swords remember. Sorry to put that imagine in anybody's head. This area sounds like small-towns-ville. Guarantee the killer(s) are known to the girl. As soon as they start going through her keitai, diary or friends/customers the police will land this lowlife. R.I.P.
moonbeams at 11:39 PM JST - 8th November

Please investigate the possibility of cult activity.
kawaiitenshi at 01:17 AM JST - 9th November

This story has been making me sick.most murders/car accidents have very graphic images on the news.why do they zoom in on blood spots and blue sheets!? No wonder there are psychos out here... the news fuels it with their reporting!! Poor girl, what a tragic end! Here's to hoping the reports go away.sick of them zooming in on her photos and stopping at above the neck...it's weird!
JHansen at 06:35 AM JST - 9th November

Very sad, very sick story. I hope they find the killer(s) ASAP
Altria at 09:42 AM JST - 9th November

This is beyond sick. Brings back memories of that 14 year old kid in Kobe who cut off a younger boy's head and left it on the school gates. Hope the police are keeping a close eye on him now he's back on the street.
MadokaKato at 10:10 AM JST - 9th November

This sounds like a work of a serial killer.
mnemosyne23 at 12:47 AM JST - 10th November

This is just awful. I knew that this story would end in tragedy when we learned this poor girl was missing, and now to have this gruesome discovery confirm it... I really can't begin to imagine what her family must be going through. I hope this vicious, sick monster is found quickly and soundly punished.

In regards to the decapitation as means of death discussion that's been knocked around in the comments, I don't think it was the cause of death. It certainly MIGHT have been, but judging by the fact that the poor girl's body was dismembered, I think the decapitation was simply one part of that post-mortem mutilation. Dismemberment seems to be the post-crime modus operandi of a lot of killers in Japan. It probably makes it easier to stow the body for transport and disposal, and I assume the killers believe it's harder to identify a body that's in five or six pieces. I can't say for certain that decapitation was NOT the cause of death, but I'm leaning towards strangulation, suffocation, or perhaps a slit throat.

God... I feel a little sick with myself right now for contemplating how this poor young woman was murdered. I hope she's at peace.