Ishikawa: Man downs tranquilizers before telling cops he killed wife

tokyoreporter.com -- Feb 26

Ishikawa Prefectural Police on Thursday found the body of a 36-year-old woman inside her residence in Kanazawa City after her husband apparently attempted to commit suicide, the Sankei Shimbun

At just past 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, officers working off a tip from Niigata Prefectural Police found the body of Naoko Hashimoto, the 36-year-old manager of a clothing store, inside her residence in the Yonaizumimachi area.

According to police, the results of an autopsy revealed the cause of death to be suffocation. About one week had passed since she died.

About 90 minutes before the discovery, Hashimoto’s husband, 48, told police in Myoko City, Niigata that he had “killed a family member” in Kanazawa.

Niigata police later arrived at the location of the husband and discovered that he had consumed a large quantity of tranquilizers prior to making the call.

After he received treatment at a hospital, police arrested him suspicion of murder on Friday.