crime

70-yr-old woman arrested for death of mother in failed murder-suicide bid

15 Comments

Police have arrested a 70-year-old woman for allegedly killing her mother in an attempted murder-suicide.

According to police, the body of 98-year-old Sato Yoneyama was discovered at her home in Minami-ashigara on Friday after her daughter, Shizue Yoneyama, 70, reported her death to police. Fuji TV reported that police discovered Shizue lying on the floor bleeding from self-inflicted cuts to her wrists and neck.

The accused was taken to hospital for treatment where she is in a stable condition, police said Saturday. She was quoted by police as saying she had strangled her mother to death with a towel on Thursday night.

Police quoted her as saying that living with her mother was hard. "My mother couldn't hear. I became exhausted from looking after her without being able to communicate," Shizue said, according to police.

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15 Comments
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It seems that this horrible situation is going to be the New Japan. Something needs to be done to support these caregivers.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

indeed mitoguitarman - already the resources for caregivers are very, very stretched, and are only going to get worse as the elderly population increases...

While the victim is a very old woman, I cant help but feel very sorry for the 70 year old. 70 is hardly a spring chicken, she must have been exhausted...

12 ( +13 / -1 )

Why not put in care center or asking npo help

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Care centers are expensive. Not everyone can afford them. At 70 years old, the woman was probably struggling to make ends meet herself.

11 ( +11 / -0 )

jonobugs - indeed.

Not to mention they usually have a waiting list of at least a couple of years, and the lists are needs based, not just a matter of time.

For example, if this woman was deaf, but otherwise physically fine, she would be VERY low priority for entering a care home. If a younger woman had a stroke which left her paraplegic, and/or brain damaged, she would be "higher" priority and therefore get public funding and a care home space first, regardless of how many people she had around to help with her care.

The problem is these care homes are in short supply already, and there are just not enough people who wish to work in this area - the pay is very low and the hours are very long.

This system is going to have to be very seriously reassessed, or we are going to see alot more old people dying at the hands of their carers.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Murdering a 98 year old? What is the point!

-7 ( +1 / -7 )

98 year old is still a LIFE!

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I hope that the justice system doesn't waste too much time of this case. Show some sympathy to the 70 year old. People in Japan are living too long.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Us getting older is a real problem. I'm 41 now. My Japanese in laws are 65. That means by the time they are in their nineties I will be close to 70. To be honest that's a point where I might need care. Giving it at that age sounds like an impossible task.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

home for the ages very expensive, even they have a pension they can't afford it ...

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I guess it's an 'Urban Myth' that Japan has a system for care giving the elderly...as well as good inexpensive medical care.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

People in Japan are living too long.

Be careful! If "they" start killing off us oldtimers, folks who post snarky comments may be next. ;-)

2 ( +2 / -0 )

That means by the time they are in their nineties I will be close to 70. To be honest that's a point where I might need care. Giving it at that age sounds like an impossible task.

I live with elderly neighbour and I help him a lot. Although I am not a relative with him. I enjoy about my unpaid civic duty.

Some people in nineties or hundred are relatively healthy. There is no obligation to someone who has to care their elderly parents. If the children or in laws are dutiful, they are lucky. If they do not want, elderly do not force them to care them.

There is no point of helpless elderly to be slaughtering like animals. It is uncivilized manner and crime against the humanity. In the most cases, they want the heritage with blood shed. At the end, they excused with exhaustion and stress.

Many posters will be old like that lady. Hope their grown up off spring will not commit that sort of horrific crime.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Kashiwa~ "folks who post snarky comments may be next." I'll take my chances, thank you. And I don't know how old you are, oldtimer, but I doubt that you are 98 years young. Why? Because you are using a compooter to link together words to create meaning. I am not calling to wipe out the elderly; the 70 year old daughter certainly committed a crime. But its closer to a mercy killing, I bet.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Poke:

I am not calling to wipe out the elderly

I apologize, if you think I was accusing you of wanting to "wipe out the elderly." It seems, I should have included "LOL" at the end of my comment, instead of ";-)" to show the comment was posted in jest. BTW, I'll be 76 next month and I know a lot of older folks who are much older than me and they're able to use computers, smartphones, etc. We just have to review and post our comments faster, before we forget what we wanted to say. LOL and ;-) Domo!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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