Kyoto boy murder case. Japanese media: Stepfather searched 'how to dispose of a body' on his phone
In the Kyoto 11-year-old boy's death case, police are investigating a public toilet the stepfather may have visited. Phone records showing he searched 'how to dispose of a body' suggest possible premeditation.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 19, 2026 at 16:16
- 🔍 Collected: April 19, 2026 at 16:31 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 19, 2026 at 17:49 (1h 18m after Collected)
(Central News Agency, reporter Tai Ya-chen, Tokyo 19th) Regarding the death of an 11-year-old boy in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, Japanese media reported that through mobile phone analysis, it was found that the stepfather, Yuki Adachi, had searched "how to dispose of a dead body". If he indeed murdered the boy, and the search occurred before the crime, the possibility of a premeditated crime increases; if it was after the crime, it is more likely an impromptu act, which still needs to be clarified.
Shueisha reported that 37-year-old Yuki Adachi confessed to killing the boy. Yesterday morning, Kyoto prefectural police conducted an on-site inspection of a public toilet on the way from the boy's home to the elementary school. Police believe that on March 23, the day the boy went missing, Adachi may have stopped at the public toilet while driving the boy to school.
Sorting out the current timeline of the case: On the morning of March 23, the boy ate breakfast at home, a scene witnessed by other family members, so police previously stated it was confirmed the boy was still alive on the morning of the 23rd. After that, Yuki Adachi, who normally doesn't drive the boy to school, said he would drive the boy to the elementary school 10 kilometers away, and let him get into a black car and leave home.
However, although surveillance cameras near the school captured the black car, the boy did not arrive at school. Later that morning, Yuki Adachi drove back home, picked up the boy's mother, and went to the school again. Approaching noon, the school contacted the boy's mother's phone saying the boy hadn't arrived, and Yuki Adachi subsequently reported to the police himself.
Concluding various clues, the boy went missing after getting into his stepfather's black car heading to school. The public toilet passed along the way is now listed as a key point of investigation.
According to reports, nearby residents recalled yesterday morning's situation: "Around 8:30 am, many police cars suddenly arrived, started setting up cordons, and the media gathered. That toilet is rarely used by locals, mostly by tourists. Traffic is relatively high during the day, but at night almost no one pays attention."
A reporter revealed, "Actually, many media outlets also frequently use that public toilet when reporting, and the scene had not been protected before that."
Police believe that before the boy's body was finally discovered in the mountains of Nantan City on April 13, it had been moved to multiple locations, and this public toilet might be one of them.
On the morning the boy went missing, Yuki Adachi drove the boy away but did not take him to school, and then moved together with his wife. Therefore, if his confession is true, the timing of killing the boy might be on the way to school or returning from school, and the location might be in the car or the public toilet.
The report states that although police analyzed Yuki Adachi's movement trajectory through his phone, inspecting the public toilet only now suggests phone data might not have revealed he visited it, or it might be that the suspect confessed during the previous night's interrogation, leading the toilet to be targeted for investigation.
Another report pointed out that phone analysis found that at the time the boy went missing, Yuki Adachi had searched "how to dispose of a body". If his killing the boy is true and the search happened beforehand, the possibility of premeditation rises; if afterward, it's more likely impromptu. Currently, the judicial autopsy can only determine the time of death as "late March"; how to further narrow the timeframe will become the focus of the investigation.
After Yuki Adachi was arrested, many suspicious details emerged one by one.
Besides reporting to the police, he distributed missing person flyers, trying to create the image of a "worried parent" to avoid police suspicion. However, his actions seemed superficial; looking back now, many people felt he was strange.
A western pastry shop owner recalled that on March 31, Yuki Adachi brought a flyer to the shop asking them to post it. "He just handed the flyer forward, said 'Everyone probably knows already, can you help post it?', and planned to leave immediately. He didn't say who he was. My wife felt something was off and kept him to ask, 'Is it better to post inside or outside the store?' He just said, 'Anywhere is fine.'"
The owner said, "This attitude was really unnatural. He was very cold, expressionless, and made people feel he wanted to leave quickly."
Yuki Adachi's original surname was Yamamoto. After marrying the boy's mother, he married into the family and changed his surname to Adachi, living with his wife's family. A local resident familiar with the Adachi family said: "When the boy's mother remarried, she introduced him to close relatives. I heard he barely greeted anyone properly, giving a very poor first impression. Relatives even said, 'Why would she want to marry such an unremarkable man.'" (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150419
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Shueisha reported that 37-year-old Yuki Adachi confessed to killing the boy. Yesterday morning, Kyoto prefectural police conducted an on-site inspection of a public toilet on the way from the boy's home to the elementary school. Police believe that on March 23, the day the boy went missing, Adachi may have stopped at the public toilet while driving the boy to school.
Sorting out the current timeline of the case: On the morning of March 23, the boy ate breakfast at home, a scene witnessed by other family members, so police previously stated it was confirmed the boy was still alive on the morning of the 23rd. After that, Yuki Adachi, who normally doesn't drive the boy to school, said he would drive the boy to the elementary school 10 kilometers away, and let him get into a black car and leave home.
However, although surveillance cameras near the school captured the black car, the boy did not arrive at school. Later that morning, Yuki Adachi drove back home, picked up the boy's mother, and went to the school again. Approaching noon, the school contacted the boy's mother's phone saying the boy hadn't arrived, and Yuki Adachi subsequently reported to the police himself.
Concluding various clues, the boy went missing after getting into his stepfather's black car heading to school. The public toilet passed along the way is now listed as a key point of investigation.
According to reports, nearby residents recalled yesterday morning's situation: "Around 8:30 am, many police cars suddenly arrived, started setting up cordons, and the media gathered. That toilet is rarely used by locals, mostly by tourists. Traffic is relatively high during the day, but at night almost no one pays attention."
A reporter revealed, "Actually, many media outlets also frequently use that public toilet when reporting, and the scene had not been protected before that."
Police believe that before the boy's body was finally discovered in the mountains of Nantan City on April 13, it had been moved to multiple locations, and this public toilet might be one of them.
On the morning the boy went missing, Yuki Adachi drove the boy away but did not take him to school, and then moved together with his wife. Therefore, if his confession is true, the timing of killing the boy might be on the way to school or returning from school, and the location might be in the car or the public toilet.
The report states that although police analyzed Yuki Adachi's movement trajectory through his phone, inspecting the public toilet only now suggests phone data might not have revealed he visited it, or it might be that the suspect confessed during the previous night's interrogation, leading the toilet to be targeted for investigation.
Another report pointed out that phone analysis found that at the time the boy went missing, Yuki Adachi had searched "how to dispose of a body". If his killing the boy is true and the search happened beforehand, the possibility of premeditation rises; if afterward, it's more likely impromptu. Currently, the judicial autopsy can only determine the time of death as "late March"; how to further narrow the timeframe will become the focus of the investigation.
After Yuki Adachi was arrested, many suspicious details emerged one by one.
Besides reporting to the police, he distributed missing person flyers, trying to create the image of a "worried parent" to avoid police suspicion. However, his actions seemed superficial; looking back now, many people felt he was strange.
A western pastry shop owner recalled that on March 31, Yuki Adachi brought a flyer to the shop asking them to post it. "He just handed the flyer forward, said 'Everyone probably knows already, can you help post it?', and planned to leave immediately. He didn't say who he was. My wife felt something was off and kept him to ask, 'Is it better to post inside or outside the store?' He just said, 'Anywhere is fine.'"
The owner said, "This attitude was really unnatural. He was very cold, expressionless, and made people feel he wanted to leave quickly."
Yuki Adachi's original surname was Yamamoto. After marrying the boy's mother, he married into the family and changed his surname to Adachi, living with his wife's family. A local resident familiar with the Adachi family said: "When the boy's mother remarried, she introduced him to close relatives. I heard he barely greeted anyone properly, giving a very poor first impression. Relatives even said, 'Why would she want to marry such an unremarkable man.'" (Editor: Tien Jui-hua) 1150419
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The text, pictures, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, publicly transmitted, or utilized without authorization.