GIFU - Police investigating a fire that killed three people at a cake shop in Motosu, Gifu Prefecture, have found a gasoline container and multiple knives in the burned-out building and are examining whether a 70-year-old company executive who died after the incident brought the fuel to the scene.
The case came to light at around 9 p.m. on September 5 when police received an emergency call reporting that someone had been stabbed and that gasoline had been spread before a fire broke out.
The fire occurred at a combined cake shop and residence in Motosu operated by a 66-year-old woman.
Investigators believe 11 people were inside the building when the fire started.
The bodies of an unidentified man and woman were found in the ruins along with several knives believed to have been used in the incident.
Autopsies showed that the man died from blood loss after being stabbed from the front in the abdomen, while the woman died from acute carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the fire.
Three other people, including the female shop owner, were taken to hospital.
One of them was Hiroshi Hayashi, 70, a company executive from Mizuho, Gifu Prefecture. Hayashi was found inside a vehicle in the parking lot and later died at the hospital.
Hayashi was reportedly wearing almost no clothing when he was discovered.
The shop owner and the other person taken to hospital were injured and remain under treatment.
People who knew Hayashi described him as well-liked and mild-mannered. One acquaintance said he had served as the head of a neighborhood association and was "a cheerful person," while another described him as "gentle" and said they had never heard of him being involved in any trouble.
A person who knew both Hayashi and the shop owner said the two appeared to have been in a relationship for several years. The acquaintance said it had been apparent for years that they were dating, but that they had said they did not intend to marry because of issues including inheritance.
According to investigative sources, the cake shop had already closed for business when the fire broke out, and the owner was holding a gathering with nine former classmates from junior high school.
Hayashi is believed not to have been invited to the gathering.
Police are investigating why he was at the property and why he was later found inside a vehicle in the parking lot.
Investigators have searched Hayashi's home on suspicion of murder and arson and are examining the possibility that he brought gasoline to the cake shop before the fire.
Source: FNN
