A 64-year-old detainee in police custody in Kawasaki who hanged herself was confirmed dead early Saturday after a failed attempt at resuscitation, police said.
Mutsuko Yuda, indicted on an embezzlement charge, was discovered hanging in a toilet of a police cell at Saiwai Police Station at around 2 p.m. Friday by a patrolling guard, according to the police.
She was then rushed to a hospital while attempts were made to resuscitate her, but she died at around 6:20 a.m. Saturday, they said.
Yuda, with no fixed address, was arrested Aug. 8 on a charge of stealing in May 180,000 yen in cash placed in her care by her employer when she was working as a housekeeper, police said.
Police say she owned up to to the charge.
The guard said there had been nothing unusual about the woman's behavior when he last saw her before discovering her hanging in the lavatory, according to the police.
Ko Ogiso, deputy chief at the police station, said, "We sincerely regret that something occurred that should not have happened, but we believe patrolling was done adequately, once every 15 minutes."