The media started reporting on the case last week, when the friends of the 30-year-old woman asked the police to check if she was okay or where she was. No one has seen her since the end of March and she was unavailable on the phone. Before that, she sent messages to friends that she was afraid because her husband threatened her.
Criminal investigators then interrogated the man and he told them that he killed his wife and “disposed of her body in an incinerator, where he burned it for several hours,” The Japan Times wrote.
旭山動物園の焼却炉に妻の遺体遺棄か 30-year-old male staff memberは「残しいよう燃やし尽くす」」とと行方是直直さてなたかたたたたたたたたたたたした
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Police searched the zoo, including the incinerator at its veterinary hospital, but found no human remains. The investigators also searched the suspect’s house, during which they confiscated three cars, including the zoo’s official vehicle, which they believe could have been used to transport the body.
The police continue to search for the missing woman and continue to try to verify her husband’s statement. They have not yet announced what charges they will bring against the man, nor have they mentioned the motives of his actions.
Meanwhile, the zoo continues preparations for reopening after a routine break in preparation for the summer season. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. The situation requires a longer time, we could not have foreseen something like this,” explained the mayor of the city, Hirosuke Imazu.
According to the daily Asahi Shimbun, the zoo in Asahikawa is one of the most popular in Japan. It was opened in 1967 and is known for its innovative exhibits that allow visitors to see the natural behavior of animals. Last year it attracted approximately 1.3 million people.
