Photo/Illutration A man allegedly stabbed to death his wife and daughter before killing himself at this hospital in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Sept. 27. (Tamotsu Sugao)

FUJINOMIYA, Shizuoka Prefecture--A 73-year-old man killed himself after allegedly stabbing to death his ailing wife and chronically ill daughter in their hospital rooms here on Sept. 27.

Police responding to an emergency call at around 2:20 p.m. found Chizuko Saito, 72, and Seiko Saito, 40, bleeding in separate rooms of the neuroscience hospital where they had been admitted to.

Earlier, the suspect told the hospital’s receptionist that he came to visit his wife and daughter.

Police believe the man attacked Seiko first, then Chizuko, before stabbing himself.

The two women died at the hospital while the man was sent to another hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

Chizuko and her husband, the suspect, have long supported Seiko, who has had a chronic illness and been hospitalized, according to family friends.

Around March, Chizuko was also hospitalized after suffering a stroke, which left her husband devastated.

Before the incident on Sept. 27, the suspect was visiting his wife and daughter in their wards almost every other day, according to hospital staff.

A neighbor said she saw the suspect pacing nervously back and forth in front of his house on the morning of the stabbing.

She said the man became withdrawn and isolated after his wife fell ill, suggesting the recent family crisis played a part in the tragedy.

(Tamotsu Sugao and Arata Mitsui also contributed to this article.)

Related News