A family of a Japanese woman found mummified in their Yorkshire cottage were convinced she was alive, an inquest revealed yesterday.
Police found the body of 49-year-old Cambridge graduate Rina Yasutake on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom after appearing to be wasted from not eating.
Detectives found that the family, consisting of an elderly mother and three siblings, lived isolated from the world without modern technology such as televisions or radios.
They even communicated with each other in a “unique” Japanese dialect, according to an investigation by the Northallerton Coroner’s Court.
Rina Yasutake, 49, was said to have been wasted from not eating before she was found partially mummified at her family home in Yorkshire. Her family was convinced that she was still alive
A diary entry found at the cottage in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, states that on August 18, 2018, Rina “stopped responding”. It was unclear who the author was.
More than five weeks later, on September 25, after being alerted by a pharmacist, police visited the home to discover the gruesome scene.
The family had used surgical spirits to “cleanse” her body and there were signs of mummification when police found her remains, the inquest was told.
But Detective Inspector Nichola Holden, the lead investigating officer, agreed with the family attorney that Rina’s loved ones “were absolutely convinced that she was alive.”
She said: “Yes, they were. They were then and for many months afterwards.’
Rina lived for 20 years with mother Michiko, now 80, brother Takahiro, 51, and sister Yoshika, 56. They had left Japan after Michiko married a Brit and moved to Helmsley when they separated.
Detectives found that the family, consisting of an elderly mother, Michiko, and three siblings, lived isolated from the world without modern technology such as television or radio
Rina was a gifted artist, having been privately tutored at Queen Mary’s School, near Thirsk, before studying Classics at Cambridge. But she did not work after leaving university.
She visited her GP in 2013 due to family concerns about “aggressive episodes” but had not sought further medical treatment since.
After her father’s death in Japan, Rina stopped eating and eventually went to bed and “stopped moving,” according to the research.
The family members were originally due to stand trial for failing to allow a lawful burial, but the charges were dropped as it was not in the “public interest”.
Rina’s siblings told consultant psychiatrist John Kent that she stopped eating and eventually stopped moving.
A diary found at the Helmsley cabin says that on August 18, 2018, Rina “stopped responding.”
But Yoshika didn’t accept that she was dead, telling the doctor, “She was still breathing, her body was warm and she still had a pulse.
‘She didn’t tell us much. So we said we should eat and drink more. She looked like she had been nourished by eating her soul. I don’t know how to explain it. Although she ate nothing, she was nourished with spiritual nourishment and was filled.’
The alarm was raised after local pharmacist Eva Ward feared the family was buying large quantities of surgical spirit. Ms Ward said Takahiro Yasutake had a pink folder containing letters and she spotted Rina’s name underneath. Mrs Ward asked about the liquor bottles – “Are they for her?” – and he nodded.
Police went to the address and paramedic Karen Tomlinson said it was apparent she had been dead “several weeks”.
A post-mortem found there were no signs of injury, illness or drugs. The cause of death was “unclear”. There was no evidence of suspicion.
Coroner Jon Heath recorded an open conclusion.