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Man arrested after missing 13-year-old girl’s body found on mountain road

May 08 (Japan Today) - Police in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, said Friday they have arrested a 23-year-old unemployed man in connection with the death of a 13-year-old girl whose body was found on a mountain road on Thursday.

The girl had been reported missing by her family on Wednesday, Fuji TV reported. Police said the suspect, Yuichi Nishida, who is from Kagoshima Prefecture, told them he met the girl on a social network site for people thinking about committing suicide.

Nishida arranged to meet the girl on Wednesday and they drove together up into the mountains. However, on Thursday morning, at around 3 a.m., Nishida showed up at an unmanned koban (police box) and called police. He said he had left a girl’s body on a mountain road leading to a golf course. He was quoted by police as saying he had planned to commit suicide with her, using charcoal briquettes in the car. He told police the girl succumbed first but he couldn’t go through with it, so he left her body by the road.

Police said there were no external signs of injury on the girl and plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Remnants of burned charcoal briquettes were found near her body.

Source: 読売テレビニュース

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