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New Yorker Arrested in Japan After Cops Find Missing Woman's Severed Head: Police

The woman's arms, legs and torso were found in separate locations in Kyoto and Osaka, according to media reports

A New York man visiting Japan is being held on suspicion of murder after authorities found a missing woman's severed head in a suitcase where he was lodging, according to reports. 

Japanese media outlets report Yevgeniy Bayraktar of Mastic Beach was detained after authorities found the woman's head in the suitcase as well as her arms, legs and torso in separate locations in parts of Kyoto and Osaka on Sunday. 

Police said the parts could be from the body of an unidentified woman who has been missing in the prefecture since mid-February. Local media said the woman was a 27-year-old office worker from Sanda City.

Police released few details, but suggested they searched the locations after being told about them by a suspect. An examination of the body parts is being conducted to identify the victim, they said.

Kyodo News service and other Japanese media reported that police arrested the 26-year-old New Yorker as a suspect, but police would not confirm that. Bayraktar had been visiting since January, according to the reports.

The reports said security camera video from the building showed him entering with a woman, but did not show the woman leaving. It showed the suspect going in and out with a suitcase, they said.

Neighbor John Motovidlak said that Bayraktar had lived in Mastic Beach with his parents and that the family was very friendly. 

"Surfacely, from seeing these people, they are beautiful people," Motovidlak said. "They wave, they smile and say 'good evening.'"

No one answered the door at Bayraktar's home Monday afternoon. But Nippon TV reports that the man's parents denied the allegations and said the 26-year-old always wanted to marry a Japanese woman.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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