THE OTAKU MURDERER
In late August 1988, the parents of missing four-year-old Mari Konno received a box in the mail. Inside the box, on a bed of fine powder, was a photo of the outfit Mari had been wearing when she disappeared, several small teeth, and a postcard bearing a message: “Mari. Cremated. Bones. Investigate. Prove.” This horrifying box of clues would be one of several that tortured families around Tokyo, Japan would receive as they searched for their young children. But these girls would never return home, as they had fallen victim to the twisted mind of Tsutomu Miyazaki, the Otaku Murderer. Though he grew up to be one of Japan’s most sadistic killers, Miyazaki started out as a meek and quiet child. Born prematurely in August of 1962 with a birth defect that rendered him unable to bend his wrists completely, Miyazaki spent most of his early childhood alone as the victim of bullying for his deformity. Miyazaki kept to himself and rarely participated in social events or made many friends. He often