Woman suspected of attempting suicide after stabbing daughter to death

The Mainichi Shimbun
May 13, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080513p2a00m0na007000c.html

SAGAMIHARA, Kanagawa -- A woman is suspected of attempting to kill herself after fatally stabbing her daughter at their home here, police said.

At around 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Miwako Seki, 36, an unemployed woman, and her 10-year-old daughter Kotomi were found lying on the floor at their apartment in Sagamihara, bleeding from their stomachs, local police said.

Kotomi, who had been stabbed in 10 locations of her body including her stomach and back, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her mother was rushed to a hospital with stab wounds to the stomach, but remains in a serious condition.

Seki reportedly nodded when asked by a paramedic in the ambulance if she attacked her daughter, leading investigators to suspect that the woman fatally stabbed her daughter before attempting to take her own life. No suicide note has been found.

Kotomi, a fifth grader at a local elementary school, was mentally retarded and attended a special class for handicapped children, according to the local board of education.

(Mainichi Japan) May 13, 2008