We apologise sincerely for bringing you some incredibly gruesome news on this, the spookiest of all nights: cops in Japan have arrested 27-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi today after they found nine dead bodies in his apartment in Zama, south of Tokyo.
Police uncovered body parts – reportedly including two severed heads found near the front door – concealed in eskies under kitty litter.
The cops were investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman, last seen walking with Shiraishi ten days ago, on October 21. The victim’s brother reported her disappearance on October 24, after he had not heard from her for a few days, before discovering that she and her killer had been talking on Twitter.
The pair allegedly met on a site for people with suicidal feelings, the 23-year-old posting online that she was “looking for someone to commit suicide with“.
Along with the body of the 23-year-old, eight other dead bodies have been found, of seven women and one man. A saw, believed to be used to dismember the bodies, was uncovered in Shiraishi’s room.
When he was arrested, he’s reported to have told police: “It’s true that I tried to hide the bodies of the people I killed to destroy evidence.”
Shiraishi’s neighbours have since told reporters about an “odd” and “nasty” smell coming from the flat since as early as August, one describing it as “like sewage. I was something I never smelled before“.
The police are now undertaking DNA testing to identify the eight other victims.
