The prime suspect in the deaths and disappearances of several people apparently took her own life Wednesday in her Hyogo Prefectural Police jail cell despite being on a suicide watch, officials said.
Police sources said Miyoko Sumida, 64, was found in the morning on the futon in her cell with her black clothes twisted around her neck.
According to the police, she was confirmed to have been dozing in her cell until around 6 a.m., but at around 6.10 a.m. she was found to have stopped breathing. She was immediately taken to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead, the police officials said.