Killer of Lindsay Hawker “has almost certainly committed suicide”
Richard Lloyd Parry of the Times has reported that the police have come to the conclusion that Tatsuya Ichihashi, the man who murdered English teacher Lindsay Hawker, has committed suicide:
“Japan has so many mountains, and if he has gone into a remote woodland and died there, they might never find him,” a police source said. “The Chiba police are continuing their investigation, but surely they will reduce it soon. The detectives in Tokyo have concluded that Ichihashi is dead.”
Ms Hawker’s father, Bill, said that Chiba police had told him on a recent visit to Japan that they had not yet reduced the 140-strong investigation team, but planned to do so.
“They’ve replaced some of the staff with fresh faces, which encouraged me because some new ideas might make them more active,” he said yesterday. “But this thing about him being dead could be a ploy to allow them to reduce the investigation while saving face.”
Looks like the police do not believe the claims that Ichihashi was hanging out at gay bars in Kabukicho. Is the absence of clear evidence that Ichihashi is still alive enough to conclude that he must have committed suicide?
Update: The police have denied that they have any information about Ichihashi committing suicide.
Update 2: Mr. Parry has responded to the public statements made by police, referring to them as a “non-denial denial.”
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