Japan: man arrested after two severed heads and nine bodies were found in apartment

A Japanese man was arrested, after nine bodies and two severed heads, some of which were stored in picnic coolers, were found in his apartment.

Police made the discovery in the man’s apartment in Zama, a city just outside Tokyo, after investigating the disappearance of a 23-year-old woman, who went missing earlier this month. The woman was seen walking with the man near the apartment on security camera footage, according to multiple media sites.

A number of coolers were found in the house, each containing body parts, and led to the arrest of 27-year-old Takahiro Shiraishi on suspicion of abandoning a body. Police are investigating further, reports said.

According to Jiji Press, police found the two heads inside a picnic cooler, at the entrance of the apartment on Monday before making the grisly discovery of the other bodies inside on Tuesday.

Jiji Press also reported that police found a saw in one room and the bodies of eight women and one man.

A spokesman for the National Police Agency declined to confirm the reports, saying nothing had been officially announced.

Television pictures showed a heavy police presence blocking off a white-tiled terraced apartment.