9 dismembered bodies found in an apartment

Japanese police have arrested a 27-year-old man in Zama city, Kanagawa prefecture, after discovering nine dismembered bodies in his apartment.

The apartment in Zama where Japanese police found several dismembered bodies. Photo: Kyodo

According to the Japan Times, Japanese police discovered the body parts while investigating Takahiro Shiraishi, who is suspected of being involved in the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman in Hachioji city, west of Tokyo.

Police launched an investigation after the woman’s brother reported his sister missing at Takao Police Station in Tokyo on October 24. He said he had lost contact with her since October 21.

Logging into his sister's computer, he discovered a suicide note on Twitter in which she said she wanted to find someone to commit suicide with. Searching through the messages, he discovered that his sister had been in contact with a man named Takahiro Shiraishi.

Through investigation, police discovered a security camera that recorded images of the woman accompanying Shiraishi near Sobudai-mae train station in Zama city.

The suspect’s apartment is located in a residential area about 600 meters from Sobudai-mae train station. Witnesses said he started living there since late August.

A man who lives on the same floor as the suspect said he smelled a strange odor when he passed by his neighbor's apartment in August.

"I thought it smelled like garbage, unlike any smell I've ever known," he told police. However, the man said he didn't hear any strange noises coming from Shiraishi's apartment.

"It is true that I tried to hide the bodies of the people I killed to destroy evidence," police quoted Shiraishi as saying later.

Authorities suspect one of the bodies found in his home belongs to a 23-year-old woman. Several body parts, including at least two human heads, were dismembered and stored in coolers.

According to Tuoi Tre