The police have arrested a man in connection with a dismembered body found scattered around Osaka Prefecture. Parts of the victim’s remains were discovered in an abandoned house in the mountainous region of Higashiosaka, while other body parts were found in an apartment complex nearby.
A Gruesome Discovery and Quick Arrest
A male’s head, hands and feet were found in the mountains of Osaka, in a town in Higashiosaka called Yamatecho. The cause of death was determined to be suffocation. Eight days later, the police arrested Hiroto Oki, 28, on suspicion of abandoning a body. He has admitted to the charges.
Further remains were found in an abandoned apartment building in Chuo ward, Osaka, 14 kilometers away from the spot where the head, hands and feet were found.
The body in question belonged to Takamitsu Kamioka, a 52-year-old civil servant who’d been reported as missing by his wife on December 29, 2024. It was further revealed that Kamioka and Oki lived in the same apartment complex, although they resided on separate floors. Oki’s motive remains unclear, although records show that he used Kamioka’s cash card in a convenience store on January 10.
Known as ‘A Good Man’
A former classmate, who attended high school with Kamioka, told NHK “He was the sort of person who got along with everyone.”
A colleague from his department at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism said “He was a responsible, reliable colleague who knew how to treat his employees well, I never heard of anyone having any trouble with him. When I found out that he was missing I was really worried.”
Unidentified Baggage
On December 28, 2024, CCTV footage captured images of what appears to be Oki dressed in various guises, pulling a carry-on suitcase around Osaka.
Wearing a long blonde wig, stills show Oki walking from his apartment block to the train station. Police believe he transported the victim’s remains in the suitcase, moving them from his apartment to the abandoned building, and finally to the mountains later that evening.
