Zoo Closed After Employee Allegedly Makes Grim Claim
Newser • • world
Key Points:
- Asahiyama Zoo in Asahikawa, Japan, has postponed its reopening amid a police investigation after a male employee allegedly confessed to burning his wife's body in the zoo's animal hospital incinerator.
- The zoo had been closed for a seasonal break since April 8 and was scheduled to reopen on Wednesday, but the reopening has been delayed to at least Friday due to the ongoing probe.
- The investigation began following a welfare check requested by a friend after the woman, in her 30s, went missing and reportedly expressed fear of her husband in messages.
- Police searched the zoo, including the incinerator used for animal remains, the couple's home, and seized vehicles, but have not yet found the remains or filed charges.
- The husband, also in his 30s, was questioned and allegedly admitted to burning the body for several hours, according to local media reports.
