A bridge leading to the site where police report they recovered the body of Japanese woman Hitomi Akamatsu in Abadiania, Brazil. Photo: AP
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https://scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3110815/japanese-woman-hitomi-akamatsu-died-brazil-blow-head-detective East Asia
Japanese woman Hitomi Akamatsu died in Brazil from blow to head: detective
- A forensic report found that cranial trauma, possibly from a blunt rock, was the cause of death
- Akamatsu moved to Brazil for treatment from João de Deus, or John of God, a healer who appeared on Oprah and was later arrested for multiple rapes
Rafael Lima da Costa, who confessed to killing Japanese woman Hitomi Akamatsu, is escorted by a police officer in Abadiania, Brazil. Photo: Reuters
The Japanese woman whose body was found next to a waterfall in Brazil’s Goiás state died as a result of a blow to the head, probably from a blunt rock, according to the detective leading the investigation.
The 18-year-old Brazilian man who confessed to killing Hitomi Akamatsu claimed in his first interrogation that he had used her blouse to strangle her, detective Isabella Joy said.
A forensic report from Goiás state’s crime lab that came back on Friday indicated cranial trauma was the actual cause of death.
The man, who local press has identified as Rafael Lima da Costa, is under preventive arrest for homicide resulting from a robbery and for hiding a cadaver.
Akamatsu moved to the city of Abadiania to seek treatment for her skin cancer after she survived a nuclear accident in Japan, Joy said.
She remained there after the arrest of the spiritual healer known as João de Deus, or John of God, who drew people from all over the world to his small city two hours west of Brazil’s capital with promises he could treat everything from depression to cancer.
Last year, he was found guilty of committing multiple rapes.
Akamatsu’s body was found in a ditch beside the waterfall after her friend reported her missing, which prompted authorities to send out a search party with tracker dogs.
Security camera footage showed da Costa following Akamatsu, and later returning with a blouse over his shoulder, Joy said.
While the dead woman’s blouse has not been located, other clothing and an exercise mat belonging to her were found burned inside an abandoned home near the waterfall. Her underwear was also found in the woods, and has been sent for forensic analysis.
Almost one week had passed between Akamatsu’s death and the day her body was found. The time elapsed combined with the humid environment caused fast decomposition and made it impossible to confirm whether she had been raped, which da Costa has not confessed to having done, Joy said.
Da Costa said he had intended to rob somebody to pay off a drug debt, and that she had passed him by. Another interrogation is expected next week.
The man does not have a lawyer and will most likely be appointed a public defender, Joy said. The AP was unable to reach him to seek comment.