Suspect in Tondabayashi wife and child murder case sent to prosecutors Prefectural police judge it to be suicide

On the 5th, Osaka Prefectural Police announced that Junji Okuda (47 at the time), an architect and company manager from Midorigaoka-cho, Tondabayashi City, Osaka Prefecture, had been referred to prosecutors for the murder of his wife (47 at the time) and eldest son (10 at the time).

Suspect Okuda died immediately after the incident. As a result of the investigation, prefectural police determined that Okuda had attempted suicide after killing his wife and child.

A national survey from 2003 to 2025 confirmed 488 cases (679 children) of child abuse resulting in the suicide of a parent.

In September of this year, the Children and Families Agency's expert committee, which examines child abuse deaths, changed the term ``abuse death due to suicide'' to ``child abuse death accompanied by suicide by the parent.''

According to Tondabayashi Police Station, Okuda killed his wife Aiko at their home at around 3:10 p.m. on June 5 by stabbing her in the neck and chest with a kitchen knife. She is then suspected of killing her eldest son, Ibuki, by throwing him off the 18th floor of an apartment building in Miyamadai, Tondabayashi City, about 2 kilometers from her home.

Suspect Okuda fell to his death from this apartment. Based on security camera footage and the circumstances at the scene, the police believe that after killing Ichigo, he attempted to commit suicide by jumping.

Interviews with officials at the police station revealed that the family was on good terms, and no suicide note was found, so the motive could not be ascertained.

On the other hand, there is also information that the company's cash flow was not going well.

According to statistics released by the Children and Families Agency in September, there were 19 cases (27 children) of child abuse resulting in the suicide of a guardian in 2019.

Looking at the victims by age, 5 were 0 years old, 14 were between 1 and 5 years old, and 8 were over 6 years old.