The case of a dead body in the toilet in Japan is still considered one of the unsolved mysteries that has kept people curious for decades.
On February 28, 1989, a 23-year-old female teacher working at an elementary school in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan returned to the dormitory after finishing class. As usual, after returning to the dormitory, she will go to the bathroom to wash her face and personal hygiene.
At that time, toilets in Japan still used the squat toilet system. When the female teacher used the restroom, she accidentally glanced down and found a shoe. At this time, she felt strange, quickly ran over to the manhole cover and discovered something that looked like a human leg. Too scared, the female teacher quickly called the police.
After arriving, police sealed off the scene and confirmed it was a human leg. At that time, they tried to pull the person’s leg out but could not because the pipe was too narrow. Finally, the police mobilized the fire department and used machinery to destroy the pipe to get the body out.
It is worth mentioning that the body found was that of a man, who died in an extremely strange position. The time of the incident was in February, the weather was very cold but this man was not wearing a shirt but was holding a neatly folded shirt in front of his chest, the lower part was still wearing pants, the knees were bent, the face is slightly tilted to the left.
Because the body lay in the septic tank for a long time, when it was brought out, it was covered in stains. Immediately after revealing his face, someone recognized the victim.
It is known that the victim’s name is Naoyuki Sugano, 26 years old, he is a supervisor at a nearby nuclear power plant. Naoyuki is 1.7 meters tall and lives in a village 10 minutes from the elementary school.
According to those around him, Naoyuki is a person with a good personality. He often participates in activities in the village and always treats those around him well. Therefore, when this incident was shared, many people hoped that the police could find justice for this man.
The female teacher who discovered Naoyuki’s body said she also knew him. Before that, she was harassed by a strange phone call, so she and her boyfriend asked Naoyuki for help.
According to the investigation report and autopsy results, it is possible that Naoyuki died before being discovered, that is, on February 26, 1989. There were no other injuries on the victim’s body except for light scratches on the elbow and knee. However, in the end, forensic doctors concluded that the victim died from being too cold, with no evidence proving that the victim had a struggle or scuffle with anyone before his death.
Some theories put forward by the police suggest that the victim was trying to peek into the female teacher’s bathroom, so the accident occurred. With this conclusion, the victim’s father did not accept. In everyone’s eyes, his son was inherently kind and gentle, so he had no reason to peek at women. It is known that more than 3,800 people in this village collected signatures to petition the police to reinvestigate the case, but they refused.
Faced with suspicious details, many people believe that the case still has many twists and turns. First, the biggest mystery of the case is how a tall man could get into the toilet.
It is known that the sizes of manhole covers are 36cm and 20cm. If entering here, a man must tighten his shoulders, and the shoulder width of a Japanese adult man is 45cm (according to Japanese National Health Statistics data in the 1980s). Therefore, this man could not get in by himself.
Second is about the details of the shoe. As mentioned before, the female teacher saw the shoe before discovering the body, but it was only one shoe, the other was found by the police near the river. So there is no evidence of peeping, this case is more like a murder case.
Third, the shirt that the victim was holding was folded flat. With such a narrow space, how can you get in and lie down, fold your shirt and hug in that position?
Although there are still many suspicious details, the police have finally closed this case. To this day, this case remains an unsolved mystery.
