Three years after his wife's death, an expert who visited the apartment as part of a TV show suggested that some of the blood in the apartment might belong to the killer. DNA analysis of blood found at the crime scene and footprints led police to believe the suspect was a woman between the ages of 40 and 60. Although she initially refused, she surrendered herself to Nishi police station on Thursday after a few hours. A DNA match with a blood sample found at the scene led to her arrest the next day. She was quoted as telling investigators, "I did not want to be arrested and cause problems for my family." Yasufoku expressed regret for the incident, saying she feels sorry for the victim and has lived in constant anxiety for more than two decades. According to police, she said she couldn't even read newspapers about the case. They accurately determined her blood type and shoe size. Along with others, Satoru also pressured the central government to review a law that abolishes the statute of limitations for heinous crimes like murder. The law was amended in 2010, and Aichi Prefectural Police continued to investigate the murder until the woman was finally arrested. Police had questioned Yasufoku several times since August and asked her to voluntarily provide a DNA sample. The victim's husband identified the suspect as his former high school classmate, but there were not enough evidence at the time. The Asahi Shimbun newspaper reported that the victim's husband, who continued to believe there were bloodstains believed to be from the killer near the entrance, continued to rent the apartment to preserve the crime scene. Therefore, 69-year-old Satoru Takaba spent about 22 million yen ($143,000) in rent for nearly three decades. At first, he considered canceling the lease. Japanese police have arrested a 69-year-old woman on suspicion of committing a murder in 1999 in Nagoya, central Japan, following an investigation that the victim's husband insisted on continuing despite the passage of decades. Kumiko Yasufoku was arrested last Friday on suspicion of killing Namiko Takaba, a 32-year-old housewife, in her apartment 26 years ago.
