SENDAI (Kyodo) A man in Miyagi Prefecture is suspected of beating his wife to death and killing himself along with their two children with carbon monoxide, police said Wednesday.
Yukari Yoshida, 33, was found beaten to death at the family's home in Motoyoshi, and her husband, Katsumi, 36, and their son, Takamasa, 6, and daughter, Nagisa, 2, were found dead in a station wagon in another part of the prefecture, they said.
No suicide note was found.
The woman's body was found in the living room of their home with injuries to the face, apparently caused by a blunt instrument, at around 12:40 a.m. Wednesday by her 35-year-old brother and police.
The brother had been unable to contact her for several days, police said.
Officers searched for the rest of the family and found them dead about two hours later in a parking lot in Matsushima, about 60 km from their home, they said.
The three had no apparent external injuries. A bloodstained hammer and signs that briquettes had been burned were found in the car.
The woman was found lying near a "kotatsu" electric heater table, police said. The house was locked, and the key was found with the husband, they said.
The station wagon was not locked.
Police said they will perform autopsies and question relatives of the family.