Photo/Illutration The car where two sisters died after being left by themselves for nearly 16 hours. Photo was taken in Takamatsu on Sept. 3. (Kodai Kinoshita)

TAKAMATSU--A local woman was arrested after leaving her two young daughters alone in a car on a blazing hot day, causing them to die of suspected heatstroke.

Kagawa prefectural police said Sept. 4 that the girls, aged 6 and 3, were left by themselves for nearly 16 hours.

Maria Takeuchi, 26, an unemployed resident of this city in western Japan, was arrested on suspicion of neglecting her responsibility as a guardian resulting in death.

She admitted during the police questioning that she went for a drink but said she thought it would be OK because “I left the air-conditioner running in the car.”

According to police, Mayuri, the older daughter, and her sibling Yurie were left by themselves in a parking lot here from around 9 p.m. on Sept. 2 to around 12:40 p.m. the following day.

Half-empty bottles of water and half-eaten bread were found in the car. Police said Takeuchi apparently left the items as provisions in the vehicle while she went barhopping.

Before Takeuchi's arrest, she told police, “I felt sick and went to a restroom for about two hours.” At the time of her arrest, she refused to answer questions.

Investigators said they suspect that Takeuchi went barhopping and visited at least three bars until the early morning of Sept. 3, and then spent time with a male acquaintance.

The girls were found unconscious and brought to a hospital where they were pronounced dead.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the temperature exceeded 30 degrees before 8 a.m. on Sept. 3 in Takamatsu and rose to 36 degrees at noon.

(This article was written by Shomei Nagatsuma and Setsuko Tachikawa.)

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