Ex-Nurse Arrested for Killing Patient by Mixing Excrement in IV

From Jiji

July 16 2026

CHIBA – Police have arrested a former nurse for allegedly killing a male inpatient of a hospital in Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, in January by mixing excrement in his intravenous drip. 
   Apprehended by the Chiba prefectural police department Wednesday was Miyuki Furukawa, 51, from the city of Kashiwa in the prefecture. The suspect has denied the allegations against her, investigative sources said.
   Furukawa is suspected of mixing excrement in the extension tube of an intravenous drip for Eiji Aita, 75, at Kashiwa Tanaka Hospital in the city around 3:55 a.m. Jan. 30, when she was working on the night shift, and killing the inpatient the following day by causing him to suffer multiple organ failure resulting from sepsis.
   Around 4 a.m. Jan. 30, an assistant nurse on the night shift found Aita in abnormal condition with a pale face and shallow breathing. Treatment was given to Aita, but he died around 10:30 p.m. Jan. 31. Aita was from the city of Toride in Ibaraki Prefecture, adjacent to Chiba.
   A brown-colored foreign object was discovered from the intravenous tube, according to the police. Intestinal bacteria were detected as a result of an examination, and the same bacteria were found from Aita’s blood.