Overview
- Hyogo Prefectural Police placed 42‑year‑old Kenji Oyama on a nationwide wanted list after the May 19 discovery of 52‑year‑old Chihiro Tanaka and her 74‑year‑old mother Sumie Tanaka in their Tatsuno City home.
- Investigators say the women were stabbed roughly six days before they were found and forensic analysis plus security‑camera footage identified Oyama and showed him near the neighborhood on May 17.
- Officers briefly encountered Oyama sleeping on a Takasago City street on May 16 and reported he told them “I killed someone,” but they judged his speech incoherent and released him near Tatsuno.
- Police say there were no signs of forced entry, the victims’ phone and a wallet with cash remained in the house, and the suspected murder weapon has not been recovered.
- Authorities have released Oyama’s photograph and are asking the public to contact Tatsuno Police Station with tips while the earlier police encounter is likely to draw further review.