Earlier this week, Japan and the rest of the world were rocked by the horrific news of a Japanese serial killer who reportedly confessed to murdering 8 females and 1 male. Four of those victims were discovered to be teenagers.
Takahiro Shiraishi, 27, was arrested on Tuesday (31st October), and was handed over to prosecutors after confessing to murdering all of his victims. He reportedly began committing these murders towards the end of August.
As investigations are currently ongoing, many scary discoveries about the case have emerged, which have continued to shock the world. Here are some of the most disturbing things that were uncovered so far.
1. Shiraishi pointed to a cooler box when police asked him about a missing woman
Source: SCMP
According to The Independent, sources say that when local police knocked at the door of the 27-year-old’s Tokyo apartment and asked him about a missing woman, he pointed at a cooler box in his apartment and simply told them, “in there”.
Sure enough, they discovered not just one, but eight other bodies, which led to the man’s arrest.
2. 240 pieces of human bones were discovered in his apartment
Source: Huffington Post
After searching Shiraishi’s apartment, authorities discovered a total of 240 bone pieces belonging to 9 people, including heads and limbs, inside cooling boxes and toolboxes.
3. He targeted suicidal people on Twitter
Source: Mirror
In a New York Times report, local media revealed more discoveries from the second day of the investigation. One of them was that he confessed to finding all of his victims on Twitter. All of these victims were reportedly considering suicide and expressed their thoughts on the social media site.
Shiraishi reportedly created Twitter accounts for the sole purpose of attracting users with suicidal thoughts. He met his first victim on the website, and went out for a drink with her and her boyfriend. He later invited the woman to come back to his apartment, where he killed her. He also murdered the woman’s boyfriend, who came to his apartment looking for her.
4. He told his father that his life was meaningless before going on his killing spree
Source: Business Insider
During the summer before Shiraishi started murdering innocent people, sources said he expressed to his father that his life was meaningless.
Then, shortly after moving to a new apartment, he began talking to people on Twitter who shared the same feelings as him, luring them in so he could commit serial murders.
5. Shiraishi offered suicide pacts to women
Source: New York Times
In another disturbing case involving the 27-year-old suspect, a missing woman came in contact with Shiraishi via Twitter in September. She was reportedly looking for a partner to commit suicide with her because she was afraid to die alone.
Then, on the 23rd of October, the woman and Shiraishi were spotted on security cameras walking together outside a railway station near her home and the suspect’s apartment. The following day, the woman’s brother reported her missing and started looking for information on Twitter.
There, an unidentified female user told the woman’s brother that she had met Shiraishi and agreed to work with the police to set up a fake appointment with him. Not long after that, his gruesome crimes were discovered.
6. He covered his victims’ severed heads in cat litter and stored them in coolers
Source: Huffington Post
In an attempt to cover up his victims’ remains, he cut off their heads and placed them in coolers, and then covered them in cat litter to mask the stench.
Shiraishi told the police that he kept the bodies in his apartment because he was afraid he would get caught if he disposed them.
7. His neighbours noticed foul smells for two months
Source: news.com.au
The 27-year-old’s neighbours described him as “cheerful and creepy“. According to the New York Times, they noticed a sewage-like smell coming from his apartment for at least two months, but none of them reported it.
Little did they know that they were smelling his victims’ bodies slowly decaying in his apartment.
Although Shiraishi has not been indicted yet, he is expected to face murder and dismemberment charges around next week as investigations continue.
What a disturbing case! Our condolences go out to the families and loved ones of the deceased victims, and we hope justice is served.
Also read: Baby’s Body Found in Freezer After 3 Months, Mother Arrested for Alleged Murder
