An American man suspected of murdering and dismembering a Japanese woman is in custody in Japan.
The suspect, Yevgeniy Vasilievich Bayraktar, 26, was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of confining the woman in a low-cost apartment he was renting in Osaka.
Two days later the woman’s head was found in a suitcase at a different short-term rental property in Osaka. Bayraktar is “believed to have stayed in a number of condos rented to tourists since arriving in Japan” in January, according to Kyodo News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bayraktar also provided information that helped the police find other body parts in mountainous areas of Kyoto and Osaka, reports The Japan Times. A woman’s torso and “a pair of soil-covered arms” were found in Shimamoto while legs were found in Yamashina.
“Although the body parts have yet to be positively identified, police suspect they are from the missing woman,” says The Asahi Shimbun. Police said the suspect has admitted to disposing of her body and that they plan to rearrest Bayraktar on suspicion of “desecrating a body and abandoning a corpse”.
Bayraktar was the last person seen with the 27-year-old victim. The pair had been in contact through a dating app that matches foreigners with Japanese people, says Kyodo News.
Surveillance footage from one of the Osaka condominiums showed the man and missing woman entering the building. The woman did not reappear in the footage, but “he was seen repeatedly going in and out of the building alone with a travel bag”.
-
October 13 editorial cartoonsCartoons Monday's political cartoons include Donald Trump's consolation prize, government workers during shutdown, and more
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
The Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners being releasedThe Explainer Triumphant Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament as families on both sides of the Gaza war reunite with their loved ones
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
US and Japan strike trade dealSpeed Read Trump signed what he's calling the 'largest deal ever made'
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
A manga predicting a natural disaster is affecting tourism to JapanUnder the Radar The 1999 book originally warned of a disaster that would befall Japan in 2011 — a prophecy that came true
