Newborn boy's body found at Yokohama garbage point; woman, 24, reported arrested
In short
The body of a newborn boy with the umbilical cord still attached was found on 20 October at a garbage collection point in Mitakedai, Aoba Ward, Yokohama, after a city worker called police. Kanagawa prefectural police said on 21 October that an autopsy could not establish the cause of death and that the baby was thought to have died about a week earlier. A Nippon TV headline on 22 October reported the arrest of a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of abandoning the body.
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The body of a newborn boy was found on the morning of 20 October at a garbage collection point in Mitakedai, Aoba Ward, Yokohama. According to police, a city worker collecting garbage called the 110 emergency number at around 11:25, saying there was something like a fetus's body. Kanagawa prefectural police's Aoba station is investigating the case as abandonment of a body. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 9 ]
The baby had the umbilical cord still attached. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported that police said there were no noticeable external injuries and that decomposition had begun but not many days had passed. Nippon TV and Livedoor News reported that decomposition had not advanced much, and TBS reported some decomposition. Yahoo! News Japan reported that police believed death occurred within the previous month. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
Accounts of how the body was found differ. Nippon TV and Livedoor News reported it was found inside a box at a collection point facing the sidewalk. TBS reported that the worker found it while loading garbage bags onto a collection vehicle. Nishi-Nippon Shimbun, citing people involved, said the baby was wrapped in cloth when found, and Asahi Shimbun, citing investigators, said the body was wrapped in cloth and inside a semi-transparent plastic bag. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
Asahi Shimbun reported that on 21 October the Aoba station announced the results of a judicial autopsy: the baby had been born alive and died, death was thought to have occurred about one week earlier, and the cause of death could not be determined. [ 9 ]
Yahoo! News Japan quoted a woman living in the apartment in front of the collection point as saying it was a calm residential area and she felt heartbroken at the news. A man in his 30s who lives in the apartment said he put out garbage around 08:00 and noticed nothing unusual. He said the collection point was not locked and anyone passing could probably enter. A woman in her 70s living nearby told Nishi-Nippon Shimbun that no incident had occurred in the area before and that many children play in a nearby park. [ 1 , 7 ]
On 22 October, a Nippon TV News headline said a woman, 24, had been arrested over the suspected abandonment of the baby's body in Yokohama. No article text for that report was available, so the allegation and other details were not known. [ 12 ]
Why it matters
Police are investigating the case as abandonment of a body, and the cause of death and the baby's identity were not given in the documents. The reported arrest comes from a headline only, so details of the suspect and the allegation are not yet available.
Key facts
- A body was found on the morning of 20 October at a garbage collection point in Mitakedai, Aoba Ward, Yokohama. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- The body was a newborn boy with the umbilical cord still attached. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- A city worker collecting garbage called the 110 emergency number around 11:25, saying there was something like a fetus's body. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 9 ]
- Police are investigating the case as abandonment of a body. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- After an autopsy, Aoba police station said on 21 October that the baby had been born alive and died, that death was about one week earlier, and that the cause could not be determined. [ 9 ]
- Nippon TV News headlined on 22 October that a woman, 24, had been arrested over the suspected abandonment of the baby's body. [ 12 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A newborn boy's body, with the umbilical cord attached, was found on 20 October at a garbage collection point in Mitakedai, Aoba Ward, Yokohama. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- The report to police came from a person collecting garbage for the city. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
- Police are investigating the case as abandonment of a body. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- The cause of death Asahi Shimbun reported that police could not determine it after the autopsy.
- When the baby died Asahi Shimbun reported police believe about one week before discovery, while Yahoo! News Japan reported police believed within one month of death; Nishi-Nippon Shimbun reported police said not many days had passed.
- The arrest of a 24-year-old woman Only a Nippon TV News headline on 22 October reports it; no article text was available, so the allegation and details are not known.
- How the body was left at the site Outlets differ: two outlets said it was found inside a box at the collection point, while TBS said the worker found it while loading garbage bags onto a collection vehicle; Asahi Shimbun said it was wrapped in cloth inside a semi-transparent plastic bag.
- Distance and direction from the nearest station Outlets gave different figures: about 1.4 km northwest of Fujigaoka Station, about 1 km from Aobadai Station, about 1.4 km or 1.3 km northeast of Aobadai Station.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- A man in his 30s living in the apartment said he put out garbage around this time and noticed nothing unusual. [ 1 ]
- A Yokohama city worker called 110 about what looked like a fetus's body at the garbage collection point. [ 1 , 9 ]
- Yahoo! News Japan published its report on the discovery. [ 1 ]
- On 21 October, Asahi Shimbun reported police said the autopsy found the baby had been born and then died about a week earlier, with the cause undetermined. [ 9 ]
- On 22 October, Nippon TV News published a headline reporting the arrest of a woman, 24. [ 12 ]