Police: Bone's mitochondrial DNA type matches that of missing girl's mother
足か腕の骨の可能性・・・11日新たに発見 山梨・道志村
NHK -- May 12
Japanese police say the mitochondrial DNA type of a human bone fragment found in a mountain area in Yamanashi Prefecture matches that of the mother of a girl who went missing three years ago.
The police say it is "not contradictory" to say that the bone belonged to a person with blood ties to the mother.
In September 2019, Ogura Misaki, then a first-grader, went missing from a campsite in Doshi Village in the prefecture. Massive search efforts failed to find her.
On April 23 this year, part of a human skull was found in a valley about 600 meters from the campsite.
Police could not collect enough DNA to identify the person from the remains.
So they studied the mitochondrial DNA in the bone cells to examine blood relations. Mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited.
As they continued searching the valley and surrounding areas, police found a pair of shoes and a sock in late April. They also discovered a shoulder blade and a long-sleeved shirt on May 4, and two objects that looked like bone fragments on Wednesday.
Police say the shoes and shirt closely resemble those the girl was wearing the day she disappeared.
They say they will continue examining the shoulder blade and the apparent bone fragments.
捜索が続く山梨県道志村の山中で11日に新たに見つかった2つの骨のようなものは、いずれも長さが15センチほどの棒状で人の骨ならば足や腕の骨の可能性があることが分かりました。
骨のようなものが見つかったのは3年前、小倉美咲さん（当時7）が行方不明になったキャンプ場近くの山中です。
捜索の応援に入っている警視庁の鑑識課員と警察犬が11日に2つの骨のようなものを発見しました。
捜査関係者によりますと、いずれも形は棒状で長さは15センチほどでした。 - ANNnewsCH
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