A foul smell emanating from inside a locker in Tokyo last Tuesday (29 May) was found to have been caused by an abandoned and dead newborn baby girl.
Police who were investigating complaints of the smell made gruesome discovery. But even more disturbing details have emerged.
The abandoned newborn was killed by her own mother
Tokyo Police arrested 25-year-old Mao Togawa for abandoning her baby's body inside a locker. They carefully analyzed CCTV footage and other clues before pinpointing her as the potential suspect.
The 25-year-old admitted to the crime, and added that she also killed her newborn.
She said that she gave birth to the child inside a cafe in Tokyo. She added that she killed her baby after she started crying, by strangling her to death. The woman claims she was worried that hearing the little one's cries, someone would notice that she had a baby.
A few days later, the suspect left the newborn's body, stuffed in a suitcase, inside a coin-operated locker near the roadside.
The baby's neck was found to have strangulation marks on it.
She claimed to be unemployed and was staying at a cafe
When she was asked, the suspect said that she is unemployed and staying at a nearby manga cafe.
In Japan, manga cafes are places where patrons can drink and read comic books.
A murder charge will most likely be filed against the suspect after she admitted to the crime.
Where can moms find help?
These days, you hear a lot of stories on the news and on social media about mothers abandoning their children.
We're in no place to judge a mom for her actions, and the best thing to do would be to provide support for any mother facing a pregnancy crisis.
Hopefully, we will see less and less of these types of news in the future.
Source: japantimes.co.jp
Photos from: pxhere.com, pixabay.com
READ: Chinese parents abandon six-month-old baby girl
Republished with permission from: theAsianParent Singapore