The Jakarta Globe, Made Arya Kencana
An autopsy has revealed that the brutal murder of a Japanese tourist in Bali was even more frenzied than first believed.
Bali Police on Sunday said they believed Hiromi Shimada, 41, from Saitama prefecture, had been bound and stabbed 10 times in the stomach and chest but on Monday, that figure was revised upwards.
“She was stabbed 25 times and also hit several times with a blunt object on her stomach and chest,” said Ida Bagus Putu Alit, head of forensic medicine at Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.
Shimada’s body was found in her rented home on Jalan Sada Sari, about one kilometer from Kuta Beach, on Sunday morning. Ida said the victim had been dead for 12 to 24 hours before being discovered.
He said the autopsy also showed that Shimada did not resist her attacker, and that she had died relatively quickly.
Ida said he was still waiting on the results of laboratory tests to determine whether she had consensual sex or was raped prior to her death.
“The victim’s body is still being kept in the morgue because none of her family have come to claim her,” he said.
Denpasar Police Chief Sr. Comr. Gede Alit Widana said officers had questioned 15 witnesses, including Shimada’s ex-husbands Agus and Harianto, whom she married in 2000 and 2007, respectively.
“So far, there is no prime suspect for this murder,” Gede said.
Shimada’s murder comes after the half-naked body of another Japanese woman, Rika Kasano, 33, was found in nearby Tuban on Sept. 28.
Ngurah Wijaya, head of the Bali Tourism Board, said the murders had damaged the resort island’s image.
“The publicity about the cases was massive and it really hurts our image,” he said.
Ngurah said police must move quickly to solve the case to ensure Bali does not lose its reputation as a safe place to visit.
“It would be even better if the police could prevent such cases from happening in Bali,” he said.
Ngurah also said immigration authorities should be more careful because many foreigners had misused their visas in Bali.
“The permit is only as a visitor but they do business in Bali instead and some have overstayed their visas. We don’t need that kind of tourist,” he said.
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