Body found in Yorkshire home was reclusive Japanese woman
A BODY found in the market-town home of a reclusive Japanese family has been identified as that of a 49-yearold woman who neighbours say they have never seen.
Rina Yasutake’s remains were found in a house in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, after a builder repairing the roof noticed a “foul odour”.
After the body was identified, Ms Yasutake’s photograph was shown to locals in the small town of about 1,500 people on the boundary of the North York Moors national park. Neighbours reacted with astonishment when shown her picture.
Alec Foots, who works at the BATA garage where the family would do their weekly shop, said: “The police showed me the picture of the woman who died and I’ve never seen her before.
“It came as a surprise that she had been living there, I don’t know of anyone who’s seen her.”
Another Helmsley resident said: “I have lived near them for years and I can’t recall ever seeing that lady. They were so secretive in the way that they lived that no one really knew exactly who lived at the address.”
North Yorkshire Police have now issued an appeal for anyone with information about Ms Yasutake to get in touch with them.
She has the same family name as the registered owner of the property, a woman named Michiko Yasutake. A man aged 46, a woman aged 51 and a woman aged 75 were arrested and released on bail under investigation after police were called on Sept 25.
A North Yorkshire police spokesman said officers are continuing the investigation into the death, which is being treated as “unexplained”. Tests are currently under way to establish how and when Ms Yasutake died, however, officers need to establish a timeline of her movements and want to speak to anyone who knew her.
A former neighbour said: “It’s come as a complete shock that another lady was living at the house, I used to live nearby and would pass often. “There was a child – or what we all thought was a child – living there. I’m wondering now whether the woman who has been found dead could have been mistaken for a young girl. “Whatever has happened inside that house it’s a great tragedy that someone has lost their life at quite a young age.”
When the family first moved in it was thought they had a child living with them, but few people were aware there was a fourth adult in the house.
Det Ch Insp Nichola Holden, the senior investigating officer, said: “This incident has caused concern among the local community in Helmsley and we thank everyone for their understanding.”