UTSUNOMIYA, Tochigi Pref. (Kyodo) A woman who saw a man walking with a little girl by a river around the time a 4-year-old vanished in May 1990 has recently told Kyodo News the man's posture resembled that of someone caught on a security camera who may have been involved in the disappearance of another girl in 1996.
The witness, a 52-year-old former fine arts teacher, provided a rough sketch of the man and girl in 1990.
Kindergarten bus driver Toshikazu Sugaya was convicted of the 1990 murder of Mami Matsuda, 4, whose body was found by the Watarase River in Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture. After more than 12 hours of interrogation, he confessed that he took her by bicycle to the riverside.