“I’m going to take my disabled brother and wife with me”: Three die in possible murder-suicide in Chiba Prefecture

Extract from NHK

June 24 2025

CHIBA – Early on the morning of June 24th, a man in his 70s was found dead on the grounds of an apartment complex in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture, and two other people, a man and a woman in their 70s, were found dead in the room where the man is believed to have lived.

Investigators said a note was found saying “I’m going to take my disabled brother and my beloved wife with me,” and police are investigating the possibility that the man attempted a murder-suicide.

According to the police, a man in his 70s was found collapsed on the grounds of an apartment complex in Takatsuka Shinden, Matsudo City, at around 4:40 a.m. on the 24th, and was confirmed dead.

The situation at the scene suggests that he jumped.

The man is believed to have lived in a room on the second floor of the apartment complex, and when police investigated the room, they found a man and a woman in their 70s dead on their futons.

Police believe the two people found dead in the room were the man’s wife and younger brother, and according to investigators, a note was found that said, “If I die, it will be difficult for my disabled brother and my beloved wife to survive. I will take them down with me.”

The man is thought to have been suffering from cancer, and police are working to confirm the identities of the three people, as well as conducting a detailed investigation into the possibility that the man attempted a double suicide.