A Japanese Man Waited 26 Years to Solve His Wife's Murder and Filmed It All the While The apartment where the crime took place (3 photos + 1 video)
Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+
Today, 05:16
The man left the apartment untouched and hoped that future technology would help find the culprit. 
In 1999, 32-year-old Namiko Takaba was found with 28 stab wounds in her apartment, but the police investigation was inconclusive—they couldn't find any leads. The grief-stricken husband didn't give up and rented the empty apartment where the murder occurred for 26 years, leaving it untouched. He hoped that technological advances would one day help identify the killer. During this time, he spent 22 million yen on rent.
By 2025, DNA testing technology had become more accurate, and the police re-investigated the case. The suspect turned out to be a former classmate of the deceased's husband. She had injured her hand during the attack, and traces of blood left behind allowed her DNA to be matched to the evidence. The suspected motive was an unrequited love affair between the woman and the deceased's husband, dating back to high school.
An attempt to discuss the matter escalated into an argument, and then a stabbing. The woman was arrested in October 2025, and charges were filed in March 2026.
Satoru Takaba waited almost a quarter of a century, and that wait has finally been fulfilled. Now he can sleep soundly.
