In a single-lived apartment in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, an 87-year-old man died alone, leaving behind a huge inheritance of 34 million yen, including cash, watches, and gold, silver and jewelry. The identity of this old lady is like a mystery, and after the obituary was published, no one came to claim it. This incident can't help but make people think, who is she?
Early one morning in April 2022, the Hyogo Prefecture police received an unusual phone call. The caller, a man who lived in an apartment, noticed a mountain of letters in the mailbox of the old lady next door, and a foul stench wafting from the crack in the door from time to time. The man was suspicious and called the police.
After obtaining permission from the landlord, the police pushed open the door that had not been opened for a long time. As soon as the door opened, a pungent stench came to her face, and an old lady fell face down in the entryway, her right hand mutilated, and flies flying around her. After a preliminary investigation, it was determined that the cause of the old lady's death was a cerebral hemorrhage and that she had been dead for a long time.
What is even more shocking is that in her safe, the police found 34 million yen in cash as well as some valuable watches and jewelry. Although such a huge fortune is enough to make anyone blush, it is strange that she does not seem to have relatives to claim these inheritances.
In this apartment, apart from wealth, the police could hardly find any clues that could prove the identity of the old lady. Her family register, address, and name are a mystery. This makes the case even more confusing. Old ladies are considered to be "traveling dead" – in Japan, this refers to those nameless people who die unclaimed.
In order to unravel the mystery of the old lady's identity, the police mobilized various forces, including the relic arranger. A relic organizer is a very special profession in Japan, they are responsible for handling the personal belongings left behind by the deceased, looking for clues as much as possible to contact relatives and friends.
In the old lady's apartment, everything seems normal, but every object may hide a clue. During a meticulous examination, the relic organizers uncovered a few strange items - an American penny, a worn-out photo album, and a star pendant with mysterious numbers. Is there a story behind these objects? No one can tell.
Through a deeper investigation, the police learned that the old lady, Chizuko Tanaka, had moved into the apartment as early as 1982. More information about her was like being blown away by the wind, and it was impossible to find out. In 1994, Chizuko Tanaka lost several fingers of her right hand in an accident while working in a cannery, which may explain why only a skeleton remained of her right hand after her death. Despite suffering such a major physical injury, Chizuko Tanaka did not give up on life because of this, but instead accumulated this huge fortune in her retirement life.
Although there is no direct evidence about the source of her wealth, some neighbors have revealed that Chizuko Tanaka may have invested in the stock market, and perhaps it is the profits from the stock market that have allowed her to accumulate so much wealth over the years. She may also have inherited a portion of her fortune from her fiancé, who is said to have been a businessman who died suddenly twenty years ago.
In every corner of this apartment, you can feel the traces of Chizuko Tanaka's life. From the kitchen furnishings to the living room furniture, every detail reveals her love of life and attention to detail. Although her life seemed to be very abundant, she chose to live in solitude until she died of old age.
Lonely death is a growing social problem in Japan. Many elderly people die in obscurity on the fringes of society, perhaps with wealth but lack contact with family and friends. The story of Chizuko Tanaka is just one example, and her death has drawn attention to the problem of loneliness in an aging society.
During the investigation, the police tried to find possible relatives or people who knew Chitsuko Tanaka through public inquiries and social media, but all efforts seemed to be in vain. Although her identity has been partially restored, her story and her past seem to have been lost forever with her death.
The story of Chizuko Tanaka is thought-provoking, and her life and death reveal a phenomenon in modern society that cannot be ignored: as we age, human connections may gradually decrease, which can eventually lead to a lonely person's old age. This is a poignant reality, and it is also a question that we need to face and think about together.