Police believe that dismembered body parts found at a coastal site east of Tokyo over the past few months are those of a 75-year-old local woman, and have started questioning her son who was living with her, investigative sources said Friday.
The 37-year-old, who was living with his mother, Yoko Yamada, in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, did not report to police that she went missing in late September, the sources said. The police are questioning him on suspicion of abandoning and damaging a body.
Surveillance camera footage captured the man's car leaving their home and heading to the Kujukuri beach area, where a decapitated and limbless body was found on Sept. 29.
The head and legs were also found by Oct. 8, all within about 10 kilometers from each other.
An autopsy discovered that the woman's body had been cut up after she died in late September. There were no other notable wounds. The cause of death is unclear, according to the sources.