Police have arrested a 75-year-old woman on suspicion of concealing her daughter’s corpse inside a freezer for two decades in Ami, Ibaraki Prefecture.
The woman, identified as Mori, came forward on Tuesday, September 23, accompanied by a relative, to report the disturbing act.
According to investigators, she calmly admitted, “Twenty years ago, the smell of the body filled the entire house, so I bought a freezer and put it in there.”
When police visited her home, they found the body inside a freezer located in her first-floor kitchen.
Measuring roughly 85 centimeters high, 95 centimeters wide, and 60 centimeters deep, the appliance held the remains of her daughter, who was discovered kneeling face-down, clothed only in a T-shirt and underwear.
Authorities say the arrest was made on suspicion of abandoning a body. During questioning, Mori explained that the foul odour in the home had compelled her to preserve the remains in the freezer.
Police also revealed that Mori had several children, though details about them and their statements to investigators remain undisclosed.
The elderly woman had been living alone since her husband’s death earlier this month, investigators added, further compounding the tragic circumstances.
