The body of a Japanese student who had been missing for weeks has been found.
On Friday, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed the body of 30-year-old Natsumi Kogawa was found at the Gabriola House mansion in the city’s West End just after 7 p.m. on Sept. 28.
On the same day, a 48 year-old man was arrested in connection with the investigation by RCMP in Vernon.
William Victor Schneider has been taken into custody and charged with indignity to a human body.
Vancouver Police spokesperson Const. Brian Montague noted the investigation is still ongoing and evidence is being gathered to support a murder charge.
Investigators are still trying to determine the exact date of Kogawa’s death and an autopsy will be performed on Monday.
A publication ban on the case also limited police in what information they could release to the public.
“There is still an active and ongoing investigation; we don’t want to jeopardize that investigation,” Montague said.
Kogawa was last seen on Sept. 7 by a friend near the North Burnaby home where she was staying. She was reported missing to Vancouver police on Sept. 12.The file was transferred to Burnaby RCMP since she lived in the city. Kogawa was in B.C. studying English.
At the time, Burnaby RCMP said there was nothing to suggest the 30-year-old’s disappearance was suspicious.
On Tuesday, Burnaby Mounties gave an update on the case and provided still images from video taken before she was reported missing. The images from a building in downtown Vancouver show Kogawa walking with a man holding a black bag.
The VPD confirmed the man arrested is the same person in the video. Police also confirmed there are no other suspects.
The police said the Burnaby RCMP’s investigation led police to search the grounds at 1523 Davie Street, but didn’t provide the details of what exactly brought investigators to the site.
Montague said timelines are a big part of the investigation, adding there was a fairly large time gap when Kogawa was last seen and when she was reported missing.
“We’re going to do our best to fill in that missing time,” he said.
Schneider, who has no fixed address, has a lengthy record dating back nearly 20 years, mostly related to theft offences, including in Burnaby.
