A former nurse indicted on charges of attempting to murder her 16-year-old daughter was served a fresh warrant Thursday on suspicion of attempting to kill her mother.
Yukiko Sakanaka, 43, from the city of Nara, is suspected of trying to poison her 66-year-old mother with salbutamol sulfate, an asthma drug. She is accused of using the same drug to try to poison her daughter, police said.
Sakanaka was indicted on Oct. 6 on charges of trying to kill her daughter by lacing her food and drink with the drug on six occasions from March to June.
The alleged murder attempts include one instance that occurred while Sakanaka's daughter was undergoing treatment at a hospital in the city of Tenri, Nara Prefecture. On that occasion, the girl displayed an increased heart rate and trembling hands, symptoms police believe were caused by an overdose of salbutamol sulfate.
Police said Sakanaka's mother started displaying symptoms similar to her granddaughter's from around March and was hospitalized repeatedly.
Although Sakanaka's mother was never prescribed the drug, police said salbutamol was detected in her blood and in urine samples she had given at a hospital in July.
Sakanaka, who worked at a hospital in Kyoto until she was fired on Oct. 16, is believed to have obtained the drug by forging prescriptions.
Police say they have yet to establish a motive for Sakanaka's alleged crimes.