The police in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, announced on July 7 local time that the identity of the female body found near Yamashita Park in Nishi-ku, Yokohama City has been confirmed through DNA identification. The deceased is a 45-year-old Chinese woman who lived in Tokyo and worked part-time jobs locally.
According to Japanese media reports, on the morning of November 1, 2025, local time, a passerby discovered a floating body near Yamashita Park in Yokohama City. The body was found in the waters next to the Japanese postal ship 'Koushinmaru' that was docked there. The passerby then reported the incident to the police.
The police arrived and confirmed that the body was that of a woman. Only the upper body remained; both the head and the lower body were missing. The body was found without any clothing on it.
Kanagawa Prefectural police then conducted a forensic autopsy. The forensic identification determined that the deceased was a woman between 20 and 50 years old, with blood type O. The time of death was several months since the discovery. Due to the severe mutilation of the body, it was not possible to determine the exact cause of death through the forensic autopsy.
During the investigation, the police found that the injuries at the severed parts of the body did not correspond to those caused by a ship's propeller or by marine animals. Therefore, they believed that the body was likely cut off by humans and then discarded. Based on this judgment, the police conducted an investigation in the direction of the body disposal case.
Within several months after the case was made public, the police were unable to confirm the identity of the deceased. Only recently, a relevant person who had been unable to contact Yu Xiaofang for a long time provided information to the police and submitted a DNA sample for comparison. The police finally confirmed that the deceased was indeed a Chinese woman living in Tokyo named Yu Xiaofang.
As of now, the Japanese police have not announced the exact time when Xiaofang disappeared, nor have they specified the location and time of her last confirmed activity during her lifetime.
Meanwhile, the police have not disclosed whether other missing parts of the body have been found, nor have they identified any clear suspects in the case.
The case is still in the investigation stage. The police have stated that they will continue to investigate the details of the deceased’s death and the specific circumstances surrounding the abandonment of the body.
