March 28 was the last time the teenage victim spoke to her mother.

The 16-year-old, who lived in Tokyo, said she was going to visit and stay with her friend who lives in Aichi Prefecture. 

She said she met the friend through an online game.

On April 2, a 21-year-old man was sent to prosecutors on suspicion of abandoning the body of the teenage victim.

Person who knows the suspect / He was in sixth grade when I was in third grade. He was a reliable person who was always smiling.

On March 31, officers visited the suspect’s house in search of the victim.

Her body was found in a closet, wrapped in a blanket-like material and covered with tape. There were multiple stab wounds from the neck to the shoulder.

The suspect and resident of the house admitted to charges and was arrested on the spot.

What connected the two that lived hundreds of kilometers apart?

Investigators say that the two are believed to have met on the online game Fortnite. The National Police Agency has called players to be cautious since online games allow them to communicate with anonymous parties and could be very dangerous. 

This person who knows the suspect says that they used to play games together.

Person who knows the suspect / I used to hang out with him when I was in elementary school. He used to play games. We played games together. 

The person passed the suspect’s house recently too.

Person who knows the suspect / The light on the second floor would be on when I would pass in front of the house late at night.
 

A neighbor who lives near the victim’s apartment told NTV that the mother had told her daughter to play the piano instead of spending so much time on games.
 

The victim lived alone with her mother.

She lost contact with her daughter who said would be going to Aichi Prefecture. Aichi Prefectural Police started searching for the victim based on her smartphone’s location and other information, then found her body on March 31.

It remains unknown when exactly the two met. However, according to investigators, they believe that the victim and the suspect were playing games together in his room . 

The suspect has said that he stabbed her after having an argument over the game. 

This is not the first case a minor has been involved in crimes through online games. 

According to the National Police Agency, 98 children under the age of 17 were involved in crimes through online games last year.

11 minors were involved in crimes through “Fortnite.”