Killing of Yuki Adachi

Killing of Yuki Adachi
Undated photo of Adachi
Killing of Yuki Adachi is located in Kyoto Prefecture
Killing of Yuki Adachi
Killing of Yuki Adachi is located in Japan
Killing of Yuki Adachi

1: Location where the bag was found
2: Location where the shoe was found
X: Location where the body was found
Location35°05′47″N 135°27′39″E / 35.0964°N 135.4608°E / 35.0964; 135.4608
Nantan, Kyoto, Japan
DateMarch 23, 2026 (2026-03-23) – April 13, 2026 (2026-04-13) (search)
c. March 23, 2026 (death)
April 13, 2026 (2026-04-13) (discovery of body)
Attack type
Child homicide
VictimYuki Adachi (age 11)
AccusedYūki Adachi
ChargesChild murder, Abandonment of a corpse

On April 13, 2026, the body of Yuki Adachi (安達結希) was found in the mountains of Nantan, Kyoto, Japan, following three weeks of searching. Yūki Adachi, the victim's adoptive father, confessed to having killed the victim on March 23, the day the victim was reported missing, prompting a search operation. The Kyoto Prefectural Police dubbed the case as the Nantan City Child Murder and Body Abandonment Case (南丹市児童殺人遺体遺棄事件, Nantan-shi Jidō Satsujin Itai Iki Jiken).[1]

Background

Yuki Adachi (安達結希; c. 2015 – c. March 23, 2026[2]) was a resident of Nantan, Kyoto, and a fifth-grade student of Sonobe Elementary School. He was 11 years old at the time of his disappearance.[3][4] His adoptive father, Yūki Yamamoto (山本優季), who later legally changed his name to Yūki Adachi (安達優季) after marriage[5] is a 37-year-old electrical machinery and equipment company worker in Kyoto Prefecture.[6][7] Yuki's biological father and his mother had divorced, and she had gotten remarried to Yamamoto. Yamamoto later became the adoptive father of Yuki and they lived in the same house.[8][9][10] According to various people close to Yuki, he had expressed dislike for his stepfather before his disappearance.[8][11]

Map of Nantan, Kyoto; A: Sonobe Elementary School; B: Victim's home; 1: Location where the victim's bag was found; 2: Location where the shoe of the victim was found; 3: Location where the body of the victim was found

According to his adoptive father's testimony, Yuki Adachi went to school in his adoptive father's car and was dropped off in front of the Sonobe Elementary School in the parking lot around 8:00 JST on March 23, 2026. The home room teacher noticed that Yuki was missing during the checking of attendance. Following a graduation ceremony held at the school on that date, he was expected to leave at 11:30, but when he was nowhere to be found, the school contacted victim's mother at around 11:50. The victim's mother contacted 110, the police-specific emergency number, around noon. A police search then began.[12][13] The prefecture deployed 1,000 officers during the search.[14]

On March 29, a 110 call stated that a relative had found Yuki's bag in a mountainous area about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) west of Sonobe Elementary School. A shoe belonging to him was found in the mountains about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Sonobe Elementary School on April 12. On April 13, police found a body believed to be Yuki in the mountains 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) southwest of the school. The body was lying supine and wearing a dark blue fleece jacket and beige trousers. An autopsy result released on April 14 confirmed that the body was Yuki Adachi.[12][14]

Investigation

Public restroom near Rurikei Prefectural Natural Park where the victim was allegedly killed.

According to the autopsy report, the victim was estimated to have died around late March.[15][12][16] It is believed that the victim died of asphyxiation from strangling.[2]

On April 16 at a press conference, the Kyoto Prefectural Police revealed that Adachi was still alive during the morning of March 23.[17] According to the investigation, on March 23, after driving towards the school without dropping Yuki off, Yūki killed him in a public restroom at the Rurikei Prefectural Natural Park about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of their home.[18][2][19] The police also suspected that Yuki's body was moved at least four times before being found.[2][19][10] According to the police, the body was first moved to a hill behind the suspect's home on March 24, then to the mountain where his school bag was found, and to the mountain where his shoes were found, and then a few days later to the fourth location in the woods where the body was discovered.[20]

The search history of Yūki's smartphone showed that he had looked up how to dispose of a body.[21] An analysis of the car used by Yūki showed that footage from the outward-facing dashcam on March 23 was missing, and the school's CCTV footage did not capture Yuki walking into the school.[22][23] In addition, CCTV footage from Sonobe Station shows there was no evidence that Yuki had traveled by train or bus.[12]

Arrest and trial

On April 15, the Kyoto Prefectural Police raided Yūki's house on suspicion of abandonment of a corpse and questioned his relatives.[14] Yūki confessed to killing the victim during voluntary questioning. He said that he had strangled Yuki[11] and that he killed the victim because he got angry about things the victim said, such as "You're not my real father", when he was driving the victim to school.[24][2]

He was arrested on April 16 on suspicion of transporting, concealing, and abandoning Yuki's body in Nantan City sometime between the morning of March 23 and 4:45 p.m. on April 13. He became a suspect through investigations using security camera footage.[11][10][25][17] His detention was extended by Kyoto District Court until May 6 on April 24.[26] He was re-arrested on May 6.[24]

He pleaded guilty on May 27,[27] and was indicted by the Kyoto District Court on May 28.[28] He was charged with murder and corpse abandonment.[29]

Reactions

Following the discovery of Adachi's body, various people offered flowers and sweets near the place where Adachi's body was found. Classes were cancelled at Sonobe Elementary School on April 14.[30]

Formosa Television in Taiwan reported a false rumor about the suspect's nationality, claiming that the suspect was a Chinese citizen and was 24 years old. The station later apologized.[11] Kansai Television issued an apology after accidentally filming and broadcasting footage of a different person three times while attempting to film Yūki being escorted to the Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office.[31]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 【詳報】京都・南丹の男児殺害事件、逮捕20日間で判明したことは？ 「一人でやった」「遺棄４カ所」捜査本部会見の一問一答 [[Detailed Report] What has been revealed in the 20 days since the arrest in the murder case of the boy in Nantan, Kyoto? "He did it alone," "The body was abandoned in four locations": Q&A from the investigative headquarters' press conference]. The Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). May 6, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "'I strangled him': Father arrested on suspicion of murdering son". The Asahi Shimbun. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  3. ↑ 京都・南丹で小5男児が行方不明 学校付近で車降りるも登校せず [A fifth-grade boy is missing in Nantan, Kyoto. He got out of a car near his school but did not go to school.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). March 25, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  4. ↑ Miyasaka, Natsu; Torio, Yuta (April 15, 2026). 同級生「一緒に6年になれればよかった」 京都・南丹の男児遺棄事件 [Classmate: "I wish we could have been in the sixth grade together" - Kyoto Nantan boy's body abandonment case]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  5. ↑ Inoue, Yukana (April 16, 2026). "Father admits to murder of son found dead in Kyoto Prefecture". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Man in Kyoto prefecture admits killing stepson, moving body several times to evade police search". The Straits Times. April 16, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  7. ↑ 安達結希君の遺体発見に不自然な点、本格捜査につながったか…父親は捜索に「お世話になります」と頭下げる [The discovery of Yuki Adachi's body raises some inconsistencies, which may have led to a full-scale investigation... His father bowed his head and said, "Thank you for your help" during the search.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). April 15, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  8. 1 2 真相・ニュースの現場から：「家に帰るの嫌や」 京都の死亡男児が漏らしていた、父への嫌悪 [The Truth - From the News Scene "I don't want to go home," the deceased boy in Kyoto uttered, expressing his hatred for his father.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). April 23, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  9. ↑ 京都府南丹市の男児遺体、父親を逮捕 死体遺棄容疑｢間違いない｣ [Father arrested in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, for abandoning the body of a young boy; he says, "There's no mistake."]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). April 15, 2026.
  10. 1 2 3 安達結希君の養父、逮捕前の任意聴取に「殺した」とする趣旨の供述…遺体を複数回移動させた可能性 [Yuki Adachi's adoptive father made a statement to the effect that he "killed" the boy during voluntary questioning before his arrest... and there is a possibility that he moved the body multiple times.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). April 16, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Takahara, Kanako (April 20, 2026). "Kyoto suspect told others son was missing before school called home, police say". The Japan Times. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 京都府南丹市の男児行方不明 地図と時系列でたどる [Trace it using a map and chronological order. Boy missing in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Dead Japanese boy's stepfather allegedly confessed to killing, police say; victim's body may have been moved repeatedly". The Star. April 16, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  14. 1 2 3 １１歳男児宅を家宅捜索 死体遺棄容疑で―事件性など慎重捜査・京都府警 [Home of 11-year-old boy searched on suspicion of abandoning a body - Kyoto Prefectural Police conduct careful investigation into whether a crime was committed]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). April 15, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Stepfather tells Japanese police 'there's no doubt' he killed missing boy". South China Morning Post. April 16, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ 発見遺体、不明の１１歳と判明 ＤＮＡ鑑定で、死因は不詳―３月下旬ごろ死亡か・京都府警 [Body found identified as missing 11-year-old; DNA testing reveals cause of death unknown - likely died around late March - Kyoto Prefectural Police]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  17. 1 2 結希さんの生存確認は「3月23日朝」 京都府南丹市・男児遺棄事件 捜査本部が会見 [Yuki's survival was confirmed on the morning of March 23rd. The investigation headquarters for the boy's body abandonment case in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, held a press conference.]. Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). April 16, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Kyoto suspect says he killed his son who said 'you are not my real father'". NHK. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  19. 1 2 "Kyoto police inspect public restroom tied to boy's death". The Japan Times. April 19, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  20. ↑ 南丹市の男児殺害、安達優季容疑者が捜索警戒し遺体移動か…かばんと靴を遺体から外し投棄 [In the murder of a boy in Nantan City, suspect Yūki Adachi may have moved the body while the police were on alert, removing the bag and shoes from the body and discarding them.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Arrested father of Kyoto boy allegedly searched for ways to abandon body". The Japan Times. April 19, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Slain boy's father searched how to hide body, wiped dashcam footage". The Asahi Shimbun. April 20, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  23. ↑ "How police connected the dots to arrest father after Kyoto Pref. boy found dead". Mainichi Shimbun. April 16, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  24. 1 2 京都南丹の男児殺害事件、詳しい状況が明らかに 遺体遺棄後にリュックや靴脱がせ投棄 [Details of the murder of a boy in Nantan, Kyoto, have been revealed: After the body was disposed of, the backpack and shoes were removed and discarded.]. The Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). May 8, 2026. Retrieved May 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ 【速報】「私がやったことに間違いありません」結希くんの父親を逮捕 京都・南丹市の男児死体遺棄事件（2026年4月16日掲載） [[Breaking News] 'There is no doubt that I did it' Yuki's father arrested in the case of abandoning a boy's corpse in Nantan City, Kyoto]. Nippon News Network (in Japanese). April 16, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  26. ↑ 男児遺棄容疑の父勾留延長 [Extended detention of the father on suspicion of abandoning a boy]. Ehime Shimbun (in Japanese). April 24, 2026. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  27. ↑ 京都南丹の男児殺害事件 容疑の父親あす起訴へ 「一人でやった」 京都地検 [Kyoto Nantan boy murder case: Father suspected of murder to be indicted tomorrow; "I did it alone," says Kyoto District Public Prosecutors Office.]. The Kyoto Shimbun (in Japanese). May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  28. ↑ 安達優季容疑者「養父としてうまく関係築けなかった」趣旨の供述…殺人と死体遺棄の罪で起訴 [Suspect Yūki Adachi made a statement to the effect that he "was unable to build a good relationship as a foster father"... He has been indicted on charges of murder and abandonment of a corpse.]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). May 28, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  29. ↑ 京都・南丹の男児殺害 父親を起訴 殺人・死体遺棄罪で [Father indicted for murder and abandonment of body in case of boy's death in Nantan, Kyoto.]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). May 28, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2026.
  30. ↑ 「とても残念」「かわいそう」 遺体発見から一夜、現場に献花―京都 ["So sad," "How pitiful"—Flowers laid at the scene one night after the body was discovered in Kyoto]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). April 14, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
  31. ↑ Iwamoto, Shuya (April 16, 2026). 関西テレビ、容疑者とは別人の映像放送し謝罪 京都男児遺棄事件で [Kansai TV apologizes for broadcasting footage of a person other than the suspect in the Kyoto boy's body abandonment case.]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved April 23, 2026.
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