Riko Uchida : Hokkaido Murder Victim Threatened Over Photo

ASAHIKAWA, Hokkaido — Recent developments in the case of the tragic murder of a 17-year-old high school girl in Rumoi, Hokkaido, have shed light on the disturbing details surrounding the incident. Two women, Riko Uchida, 21, and another individual, both residents of Asahikawa, Hokkaido, have been arrested on suspicion of the heinous crime.

Reports indicate that prior to the murder, the victim, Runa Murayama, was coerced into paying money to prevent the unauthorized posting of a photograph on social media. This revelation adds another layer of complexity to the already disturbing chain of events that culminated in Murayama’s untimely death.

Evidence suggests that the two suspects, along with two accomplices, forcibly restrained Murayama in a vehicle as they traversed the city. Uchida, one of the main perpetrators, is alleged to have physically assaulted Murayama when she attempted to escape during a stop at a convenience store.

The photograph at the center of the extortion scheme was initially shared on social media by a 16-year-old acquaintance of Uchida. This image, which also featured Uchida, became a catalyst for the subsequent events leading to Murayama’s tragic demise. The 16-year-old girl involved in the initial posting has also been apprehended on charges of unlawful confinement.

It has been reported that Uchida resorted to threats and intimidation via direct messages and phone calls on the social media platform to extort money from Murayama. This culminated in an incident where Murayama was coerced into making an electronic payment to Uchida on the night of April 18.

Subsequently, Murayama was lured to a roadside location in Rumoi, where she was forcibly confined in a vehicle by Uchida, the 16-year-old girl, a 19-year-old woman facing murder charges, and a 16-year-old boy implicated in unlawful confinement. Surveillance footage from a nearby convenience store captured Uchida physically assaulting Murayama and preventing her from escaping.

The Hokkaido prefectural police have disclosed that Uchida and the 19-year-old woman allegedly orchestrated Murayama’s fatal fall from the Kamui Ohashi bridge on the outskirts of Asahikawa, resulting in her drowning in the Ishikari River below. Murayama’s body was discovered downstream in late May and positively identified through DNA analysis.

Investigative sources have revealed that the 16-year-old girl and boy retreated to their respective homes before Uchida and the other woman proceeded to the bridge, where the tragic incident unfolded.

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