Man held for leaving 92-year-old grandmother in bathtub, causing her death

Sunday 08th March, 03:42 PM JST

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14 Comments

Yelnats at 03:55 PM JST - 8th March

What a nice grandson. How could this idiot do such a thing. He will get a suspended sentence for being stupid, and off playing pachinko while granny got boiled to death in the tub.
bobbafett at 04:25 PM JST - 8th March

I wonder if they had an alarm which Granny should trigger when she is ready to get out? She may have died of natural causes in the bath thus failing to signal she was ready to get out. Still the young guy should have checked on her every 20 minutes or so. Guess he lacked the maturity.
bamboohat at 04:36 PM JST - 8th March

The woman lived with her grandson and his mother in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward

Where is the old womans'son (father of her grandson?)

Mom lives with 23 y/o freeter and mother in law? that kinda sucks. Or it used to suck. I suspect mom is hoping for jail time for junior so she'll be off the hook.
Mark_McCracken at 04:46 PM JST - 8th March

"...causing her death"

What? This story fails to mention how she died. Bathing in and of itself doesn't cause death. Did she drown?
likeitis at 04:53 PM JST - 8th March

Did she drown?

Possibly. If she could not get out by herself, I would imagine she was also unable to get her head above water if she slipped under.

But, its winter time. Hypothermia might be the cause. Some baths in Japan have a self reheating mechanism. Many don't though. Three and a half hours is enough time for that water to get plenty cold.
flammenwerfer at 05:18 PM JST - 8th March

I remember on NHK news a few years back a public service/informative news piece on the dangers of baths. Every day 6 people die in the bath in Japan - most of them elderly who pass out in baths that are too hot and compounded by the depth of the bath which are often filled to the brim. You pass out, then slip down below the high water line = drowning.
jonnyboy at 05:34 PM JST - 8th March

is familial neglect rife in japan or is it just more reported than elsewhere? seems there is a story like this practically every day
knews at 05:43 PM JST - 8th March

bamboohat

It doesn't say anything about a mother-in-law.

Sounds like Mum was divorced and lived with her own mother. Also, I doubt humans of any age would be feeling very well after 3.5 hours in a bath. As someone else mentioned, the temperature would decrease quite quickly. A bath at 41 or 42 degrees C makes us feel quite warm and sweaty after a while (nice sweat that is) but sitting in a bath for too long that has become 30 degrees C or lower would start lowering the body's temperature. Considering the lady who died was 92, I think it is quite probable that the water did kill her in this way. A sad way to go at that age.
BBLeo at 06:42 PM JST - 8th March

Isn't that nice Granny died very clean, ready for wrapping into white sheets? He admitted to his crime. Now lock him up until he is 92. Will be around that long? If he will be sent to prison give him bath every day for three hours to remember is 'grandma.' Will there be another suspended sentence?
Disillusioned at 07:14 PM JST - 8th March

No doubt she died from hypothermia. At 92y/o as soon as the water temp got down below 20'C she would have only had an hour before her organs shutdown. Sad way to go after surviving 92 years.
rurika at 09:01 PM JST - 8th March

Very sad story but I can understand how it happened. The grandson didn't sign up to be a caretaker for his grandmother. I don't imagine many 23-year-olds enjoy looking after a 92-year-old, even if she is a relative.

Family life has changed, the tradition of looking after elderly relatives at home was still ingrained in the mind of his mother's generation but not his.

It was selfish and heartless of him to leave her in the tub and now he's responsible for her death and ruined his own future too.
bamboohat at 10:41 PM JST - 8th March

knews

It says the woman lived her grandson and the sons mother, so I assumed there was no blood relation between granny and the sons mother, making granny the sons mother's mother in law.

So my question is if she was indeed the mother in law to the grandsons mother, where is her son (the boys father?)
Triple888 at 11:20 PM JST - 8th March

Wow that's atrocious...totally an unthinkable thing to do.
rick0909 at 05:53 PM JST - 9th March

The father could've remarried. They could be separated or maybe he died. I've heard of stranger living arrangements here.