The Kanagawa Prefectural Police confirmed Tuesday that officers had found the body of 28-year-old missing British teacher Alice Hodgkinson, adding that the death was not suspicious.

While the woman’s disappearance and the discovery of her body have made headlines in the British media, Japanese police had remained silent on the issue, as the investigation was ongoing.

A spokesman for the prefectural police said Tuesday that Hodgkinson’s body had been found on Wednesday evening and not in her apartment in the city of Yokohama. The discovery ended a weeklong search launched after the woman had failed to show up for work, which left her family desperately searching for answers.

The teacher lived in Yokohama but worked in neighboring Tokyo for the Shane group of English schools.

The police launched an investigation after Hodgkinson's managers lost contact with her on July 1, and later found she was last heard from on June 30 when she contacted her father.

Hodgkinson’s brother, Peter, who lives in England, appealed to the public in a message posted on social media on July 4, seeking support for the search.

In a statement reported in British media on Saturday, the family said they had received the “worst news imaginable” about her death, but thanked all those who were involved in the search and helped raise awareness of Hodgkinson’s disappearance.

Kanagawa police ruled out the possibility of any involvement of a third party in Hodgkinson’s case.

“We don’t believe we have a case here,” the spokesman told The Japan Times while refusing to comment on further details of the investigation, which was conducted with the help of Interpol.

Hodgkinson came to Japan from Nottingham in March 2020 to teach English and reportedly extended her stay by one year. Her family described the 28-year-old as "an intelligent, adventurous, confident, caring, young woman with a tremendous sense of humor."

Priyanka Borpujari contributed to this report

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