crime

Family of 5 found dead in sealed van

31 Comments

Police said Friday that five people were found dead in a van in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, in what they believe to have been a family murder-suicide

Police said they received a tip-off from a member of the public at about 7 p.m. Thursday, saying that a van sealed with tape had been spotted in a car park. The five were a man and a woman in their 30s and three boys aged five, seven and 10, said an official at the Fujinomiya Police Department.

The five are believed to have died of carbon monoxide poisoning after burning charcoal pieces inside the vehicle -- a not uncommon method of taking one's own life in Japan.

"They also left a suicide note," the police spokesman said.

© Japan Today/AFP

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31 Comments
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Is there no other choice for troubled families? Too sad.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Incredibly sad. I always find it so that that, if people want to die, they feel compelled to take their innocent children with them. What could have been so bad, that compelled this father/mother to do this?

Hell, I find it crazy that people who have been blessed with kids even want to die.

Please keep us updated on this story, JT.

6 ( +6 / -1 )

Evil parents who will rot in hell.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

@Jeff People are not evil though they can commit evil acts, also hell is not true, We must look at the tragedies in and learn not judge in black and white and/or good and evil ways. This is a terribly sad affair.

3 ( +9 / -6 )

@Betraythetrust!

Well, I beg to differ. Evil people are the ones who willfully commit evil acts.

By the same token, Michael Jordan was a stupendous basketball player... because he did stupendous things on the basketball court. We are all judged by our own actions.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

Betraythetrust!Nov. 17, 2012 - 07:31AM JST

We must look at the tragedies in and learn not judge in black and white and/or good and evil ways.

Not possible in Japanese culture. Not judging is the same as not caring, and the only way to prevent more tragedies is to burn a negative stigma into suicide as the absolute worst thing you can do.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Who taped the van shut??. If they all died in the van. Then how was it taped shut??

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Who taped the van shut??. If they all died in the van. Then how was it taped shut??

Probably taped shut except for one door.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

We don't know anything about this family... What if there was no-one they could trust to take care of their children ? In any case, as I have said before, "adoption" is NOT an option in Japan... Even if it were, do you know of many people willing to adopt three young boys ? Even if adopted, they would most likely be split up... This actually happened one of my friends. He often wondered why his name was "Kenzo" although he was an "only child" and no-one in his immediate family was called "Ken". It was the day he took his young American fiancée to meet his parents that they told him : "Either you give up on this idea of marrying a foreigner or we will disown you - you're not our real son anyway..."

Who would like to find themselves in the same kind of situation ?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@FightingViking

I hear you, but I'd personally rather be alive and traumatized then dead at the hands of my parents like those little boys are. RIP young boys.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

"Traumatized" can also engender suicide... it's a vicious circle... Maybe YOU would be strong enough to overcome the circumstances (as was my friend) but with all the suicides taking place in Japan, one wonders...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

and who is to blame..... could years and years and literaly billions upon billions of taxpayer money gone more towards social programs and productive infrastructure instead of the bridges, roads and tunnels to nowhere. The ever increasing amount of stories such as these have a beginning and we're now seeing the beginning of the end. When will Japan's politicians wake up and do something for Japan and not themselves. It is not just the politicians.... the Japanese penchant to hide one's dirty laundry for the greater good of community and country breeds only denial. A family of 5 is dead.... what brought them to that place was not simply a 4 wheeled vehicle.... not as simple as that.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

I don´t care about the adults, but the boys had their life ahead of them. So sad.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The magician who taped the van sealed and climbed back in would be a major clue.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Another sad day in Japan with another delusion set of parents. RIP to the children on this incident. Next article should have the family's name listed and where they were living before the incident. Key word on this story is murder, you do not know who you can trust that may put harm to your family. Just think if the parents were taking care of some other family's children and decided to murder them also!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

JeffLee:

Evil people are the ones who willfully commit evil acts.

It's easier to look at life like this, but it is not accurate. A person is a product of their environment and biology, neither of which anybody has any control over. The idea of Free Will has been roundly disproven by philosophy and neuroscience. Nobody chooses to have wicked desires or bad tempers; they simply have them.

These parents did a terrible thing, but I doubt there was any rejoicing in the children's deaths. In their effed up way, they were doing what they thought was best. It was wrong, but not evil.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Yep, i agree with japan gal. They couldn't have taped themselves in and that's a major clue there. Assisted suicide or murder.....?

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

@Pattie, the parent could of taped up all the doors and crawled into the drivers window. Then closed it behind him/her before lighting the hibachi. The story lacks to much information to add in another psychotic person that would of helped the family murder-suicide event.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

JeffLee, I don't think evil is the right word,incredibly selfish.Evil people kill others and not themselves.This is just another version of child abuse. Betraythetrust, There are plenty of evil people!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Can we call this what it is?! It's a murder duicide. Period. I don't care what was going on in the parent's lives, leave the kids alone!

2 ( +2 / -0 )

If there is a hell then these parents are going there. God bless the innocent children

1 ( +1 / -0 )

er, of course they could have taped themselves in...cars have windows to wind up and down don't they?

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Its hard to believe - poor kids :(

3 ( +3 / -0 )

indeed very sad story, every body would like to know that what happened to this family and why they took such an extreme step to take their own lives the Government, the media and the society have the responsibility to know and to explain the causes of their death.

common questions about the high rate of suicide in japan should also explain by the experts, this will be also worthwhile if the example of other societies are explained in the same circumstances

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I hate it when people suiciding and taking along kids with them. Kids don't know anything. They still want to live, and they have their future in front of them.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Devon GradyNov. 17, 2012 - 10:03AM JST

Who taped the van shut??. If they all died in the van. Then how was it taped shut??

You are a good detective. I was wondering about it too.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

globalwatcher:

Nobody said the van was taped shut from the outside. That is your imagination only.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Who taped the van shut??. If they all died in the van. Then how was it taped shut??

Who lit the stove

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The magician who taped the van sealed and climbed back in would be a major clue.

Who said it was sealed on the outside? How do you know they just didn't tape it shut from the inside?

They couldn't have taped themselves in and that's a major clue there

Yes you can its called taping the inside of the car.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It sounds more reasonable that the van was taped from the inside. I was not thinking about that when i first read the story...it did not say if the van was taped from the inside or the out side. When you read that the van was taped shut the first thing that pops in your head is seeing the van taped from the out side

0 ( +0 / -0 )

'Dexter' didnt get back in time on that one huh?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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