Murdered Female found Naked in the Bathtub with More Than 100 Million Yen of Insurance Money — Prime Suspect is Her Adopted 20 Years Old Son

It is a puzzling case.

A woman’s body was found in the bathroom of a house in Takatsuki City, Osaka Prefecture, last July. The woman was completely naked, with half of her face submerged in the water in the bathtub. Her right wrist was wrapped with a bandage, and parts of her body were decomposing due to the heat.

The deceased was Naoko Takai, then 54, who lived alone in the house. Ms. Takai worked for a city bank group company. The body was found after a four-day holiday weekend in July. Her boss became suspicious that Ms. Takai, who had a serious attitude toward her work, did not show up for work and could not be reached, so he contacted her relatives who lived elsewhere and went to her home. He entered the house through an unlocked window and found the body,” said a reporter from the society section of a national newspaper.

The police suspected a case from the beginning. However, the body, believed to have been dead for about three days, was so decomposed that even a judicial autopsy could not initially determine the cause of death. It was not until February of this year that the situation finally came to a head.

As a result of the pathological examination, it was found that the left wrist also had binding marks on it. There was also blood stasis in some parts of the body. The police, after listening to the opinions of several doctors, determined that he had been killed by another person. They released a summary of the case, including Mr. Takai’s name.

The recipient is an adopted son in his 20s.

The lot of Mr. Takai’s house is about 80 tsubo (about 246m2 ⁾. Why was he living alone in a large detached house?

Originally, the house belonged to his grandfather, but his parents divorced shortly after Mr. Takai was born. For a while, he lived alone with his mother. However, seven or eight years ago, his mother, who is in her 80s, suffered from dementia and entered an elderly care facility.

Since then, Mr. Takai has lived alone. There was talk of marriage when she was younger, but it broke off due to her parents’ opposition, and she has remained single ever since. She was not extravagant and had many assets, including a large house.

What drew attention in the investigation was that before his death, Mr. Takai was insured by two insurance companies for approximately 150 million yen in life insurance.

The beneficiary is a man in his 20s who adopted Ms. Takai in February of last year. He is a former employee of the insurance company and was introduced to Ms. Takai by a colleague at her workplace. He currently lives in a tower apartment in Tokyo. The police raided the man’s house and interviewed him voluntarily, but he clearly denies any involvement in the case. It is said that he was adopted not at his own request, but at the request of Ms. Takai.

As of March 28, the assailant has not been caught. However, the circumstances under which Ms. Takai’s body was found suggest the killer’s intentions.

There were no signs of a struggle in the room, and no bank books, wallets, cash cards, or personal seals were stolen. There was an envelope containing approximately 700,000 yen on the table, but it was left untouched. The TV and bathroom light were left on, too. It is believed that the murderer may have faked Ms. Takai’s sudden death.

According to the police, Ms. Takai has no serious chronic illnesses. He also had no notable problems at work.