In 1999, a thirty-one year-old voice actress under the name Suzuka Yuna voice one of the lead characters in Japanese erotic computer game Triangle Heart 2.
In 2000, she voiced the sequel, and during the following decade, she launched a reasonably successful voice acting career. But by summer 2011, she was arrested for murder.
Yuna, who’s real name is Suzuka Suzuike, did bit work in anime like Turn A Gundam, and also provided the voice for countless television ads, providing narration for an array of TV spots, such as Capcom, NEC, and Kirin.
This weekend, Suzuike was taken into police custody for murdering her three year old foster child, Miyuki. The young child was apparently beaten to death last August at the house Suzuike shared with her husband and their two teenage daughters by birth. One of Suzuike’s daughters discovered the 3 year-old’s body in the basement at the bottom of the stairs. The child was rushed to the hospital where it was pronounced dead.
Suzuike must make her way through the Japanese legal system, and she has not confessed to any wrongdoing, while the Japanese court system (and media) makes it seem as the fight is actually guilty until proven innocent. The evidence, however, mounts.
Suzuike told authorities that Miyuki “fell down the stairs”, but here bruises were not consistant with Suzuike’s story. According to Sankei, there were bruises on the child’s back and lower back. Miyuki died from blows to the head. It’s now believed that the child was the victim of abuse, reported Nikkan Sports, though experts said she didn’t appear to be a regular victim of abuse. According to Yomiuri Online, Miyuki’s blood was found on a wall on the first floor, and the incident supposedly took place while Miyuki and Suzuike were at home alone.
In Japan, where so much importance is placed on blood relatives and family lineage, adoption still faces stigmas–and sometimes discrimination. Three year-old Miyuki found a family willing to adopt her, and one who stated they were doing so “to contribute to society”. The results are often heart warming and uplifting, but here, they’ve been heart breaking and tragic.
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