Tokyo police find 9 bodies hidden in apartment

TOKYO — Japanese police found nine dismembered bodies hidden in coolers in an apartment southwest of Tokyo, an apparent serial killing case that is transfixing and horrifying the nation.

Police were working Tuesday to identify the victims after the man who lived there, 27-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi, confessed to cutting them up and hiding them in cold-storage cases, some covered with cat litter, a police spokesperson said.

The bodies, in varying stages of decomposition, were found Monday while police were investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman, the spokesperson said. The woman’s brother reported her missing last week, he said.

The gruesome case captured attention in a country known for public safety, topping news with reports that showed the building where the suspect lived in a small studio apartment. It was cordoned off by yellow police tape, its balcony draped with blue plastic sheets to block the view as investigators went in and out. The missing woman is thought to be one of the eight women and one man who were dismembered and hidden in the apartment from late August to late October.

A tool box and saw found in Shiraishi’s apartment may have been used to dismember the bodies, the police official said.

Police were still investigating the suspect’s motives, said the spokesperson.

It was unclear who the other eight victims might be.

Reports said the missing woman got in contact with Shiraishi via Twitter, seeking a partner for a suicide pact.

Japan’s national broadcaster NHK said Shiraishi was working as a “scout” in the sex industry, recruiting women in entertainment districts in Tokyo.