TOCHIGI, May 20 (News On Japan) –
A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.
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Miyu Takemae, who was arrested along with her husband in connection with the fatal home invasion robbery in Kamimikawa, Tochigi Prefecture, was seen in footage dancing to music while holding a baby.
Her transfer to prosecutors took place at around 8:30 a.m. on May 19th from Utsunomiya Higashi Police Station in Tochigi Prefecture.
As the vehicle door opened, Takemae lowered her eyes and furrowed her brow before turning her face away slightly as she boarded the police vehicle transporting her to prosecutors.
Her husband, 28-year-old Kaito Takemae, was also transferred from police custody to court on the morning of May 19th for detention procedures.
The case centers on a home invasion robbery in Kamimikawa in which four teenage boys allegedly broke into a residence and killed 69-year-old resident Eiko Tomiyama. Investigators believe the Takemae couple acted as coordinators behind the crime.
A resident living near Miyu Takemae’s family home said the couple had been seen there two to three months earlier with a baby.
“At first glance, they looked a little rebellious,” the neighbor said.
The couple was reportedly spotted in Nagano Prefecture, where Miyu Takemae’s family lives, several months before the crime.
“The husband had a round face and sturdy build and looked intimidating,” another resident said. “The daughter had blonde hair but wasn’t overly flashy. They both seemed slightly rough around the edges. Since the baby was still very young, I assumed they had come back to celebrate the birth and were going out somewhere with family.”
Takemae was reportedly traveling with her infant daughter at the time of her arrest on May 17th, when the couple was found hiding at a business hotel in Kanagawa Prefecture.
People who knew Takemae during her school years described her as cheerful and active. She reportedly studied ballet as a child and later joined the brass band club in junior high school.
In an elementary school graduation essay, Takemae wrote: “I have always tried to speak up with my own opinions and take initiative rather than leaving things to others.”
According to local residents, Takemae spent her years through high school in Nagano Prefecture before attending a university in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Someone familiar with her from childhood said, “She never seemed like the type to have bad friends around her. I still can’t believe she was arrested in connection with this case.”
People who had known her for years expressed shock at the allegations.
During questioning after their arrest, the Takemae couple reportedly denied involvement, telling investigators, “We have nothing to do with it.”
Investigators later revealed that the couple and the four teenage suspects are believed to have gathered together before heading to Tomiyama’s home on the day of the crime to prepare for the robbery.
The four boys arrested as the alleged perpetrators were all 16-year-old high school students from Kanagawa Prefecture, and investigators believe some of them already knew the couple.
Following their arrests, some of the teenagers reportedly told police they “did it because the Takemae couple asked them to.” Others reportedly expressed remorse, saying they regretted their actions.
However, criminal experts noted that in organized robbery cases, direct contact between planners and perpetrators on the day of the crime is unusual.
Former Saitama Prefectural Police investigator Seizo Sasaki said the structure of the case suggests the couple themselves may have occupied only a low-level role within a larger criminal organization.
“Looking at the structure of this case, although the couple were acting as coordinators, they appear to have been positioned similarly to disposable operatives — more like part-time team leaders,” Sasaki said. “Normally, coordinators issue instructions remotely. I believe there are unquestionably higher-ranking figures above these two.”
Police are continuing their investigation into the possibility that another individual directed the Takemae couple and are working to uncover the full structure behind the crime.
Source: FNN
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