The Case of the Missing Girl in Doshimura, Yamanashi: Why Was Her Body Never Found?
Despite a total of 1,700 people searching for the girl at the time of her disappearance, the investigation into both the case and the accident continues
I believe that Misaki will definitely come back home and live with us with a smile on her face, and I want to tell her, ‘I will find her, so just hang in there,'” said Tomoko. Misaki is already in the middle of elementary school. I think she has grown up, but I don’t think she will become a different person. If you see a child who you think looks like her, I would be grateful for any information you could give me.”
Tomoko Ogura told FRIDAY last December. She is the mother of Misaki Ogura, then 7, who went missing from a campground in Doshi-mura, Yamanashi Prefecture, in September 2007. However, the case ended badly.
On May 14, the Yamanashi Prefectural Police determined that the human remains found in the mountains near the campground were Misaki’s after DNA and other tests. Since the bone found was a part of her shoulder blade, which is essential for life support, Misaki is believed to have already passed away.
At the time of her disappearance, a total of 1,700 people were searching the area around the site for 16 days. Why was the body not found at that time? Crime journalist Taihei Ogawa explains.
I have been to the site nearly 10 times, but I had never set foot in the area where the body was found this time. The site is on a steep slope, and it is possible that the search team missed the body because of their preconceived notion that ‘you wouldn’t go to a place with this kind of terrain. It is also possible that the body was washed away by a typhoon or heavy rain after dying elsewhere.
The prefectural police are continuing to investigate both the incident and the accident. Mr. Ogawa continues, “It is more likely to be an accident.
If anything, I think it is more likely to be an accident,” Ogawa continued. However, there are some questions. For example, the police have stated that the shoes found at the scene are ‘not so deteriorated. However, it is hard to believe that shoes that have been left in the mountains for two years and seven months would not deteriorate. If that is the case, it is possible that a third party came to dump the body and some of the belongings at the place where they were found.
Finding out the truth is the best way to offer condolences to Misaki.
From the June 3, 2022 issue of FRIDAY
PHOTO： Shinji Hasuo (1st photo)
