The body of a man believed to be under investigation in connection with Thursday's murder of a Nagoya housewife was found Tuesday near a lake in Aichi Prefecture, police officials said.

The man, identified only as a 54-year-old resident of Tokai city who had formerly worked with the victim, Mariko Shirao, had sent police a letter hinting he intended to kill himself after murdering Shirao, the officials said.

The body, which is being identified, was found in a mountainous area of the prefecture underneath a bridge near Lake Okuyahagi in Asahi on Tuesday afternoon. It had a gunshot wound to the head and a gun in its right hand, police said.

The spot where the body was found is about 200 meters from the place where a car rented by the man was found Monday.

Shirao was found shot dead Thursday in the entrance of her apartment, in Nagoya. Police had been searching for the man, who had an appointment to meet with the victim on the day she was killed.

The letter to police apparently written by the man, dated Thursday and mailed from Kushihara, Gifu Prefecture, said Shirao was "going to keep him company."

The man, who used to own a company where Shirao and her husband used to work, is said to have been heavily in debt due to the collapse of a recent business venture.