Missing 11-Year-Old Boy’s Murder Case Takes A Dark Turn 

His alleged killer made a chilling confession.

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of violence that may disturb some readers.

On the morning of March 23, 11-year-old Adachi Yuki disappeared after his stepfather dropped him off at school. After a weeks-long search, Adachi was found deceased about 3 km away from his school, Sonobe Elementary School, in the woods.

11-year-old Adachi Yuki

According to police, a pair of black sneakers that possibly belonged to Yuki were found in a separate location, about 6 km from him, along with his backpack. He was found wearing the same clothes he was last seen alive in. There were reportedly no apparent external injuries on his body, such as stab wounds, and his clothes weren’t damaged.

Police conference regarding Yuki’s death

After the body was discovered on April 13, 21 days after Yuki vanished, Kyoto Prefectural Police questioned several of his relatives and searched the house and property where the boy lived with his family in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.

Now, the case has taken a darker turn, involving his 37-year-old stepfather, who is reportedly a divorcee with a biological child of his own. The man, also named Adachi Yuki, told police that he had dropped Yuki off at school near the front gate at around 8 a.m. on March 23. However, Yuki didn’t attend school that day–his homeroom marked him as absent–and he didn’t appear on the school’s security footage.

37-year-old Adachi Yuki

After reviewing the footage, the police arrested Adachi on suspicion of abandoning his son’s remains. Now, investigative sources say that he has admitted to killing his son and moving Yuki’s body several times during the search to prevent the police from discovering it.

Adachi has been referred to prosecutors, and Yuki’s cause of death is still under investigation.