A 58-year-old woman who was attacked while about to take a bath was found dead early Monday in her home in Fuji, Shizuoka Prefecture, police said.
Masako Chikui, a newspaper saleswoman, was found at around 1:55 a.m. when her 26-year-old daughter returned home. Chikui was naked and lying in blood in the hallway near the front door of her house, police said.
According to investigations, Chikui's clothes were in the bathroom and the bathtub was filled with water. No cash was missing from her wallet.
Investigators said wounds on Chikui's head indicate she had been struck several times with a blunt instrument, which they believe to be a 2-kg metal Buddhist statue from the victim's home. The statue was found stained with blood at the scene.
Bloodstains from the victim were also found elsewhere in the house, the police said.
Chikui lived in the house with her daughter and her 34-year-old son, who was also out when the attack occurred.
The front door of the house was locked and lights were on when the daughter returned home, according to police.
The victim's home is located in a residential district about 3 km east of JR Fuji Station.