The Disappearance of 9-Year-Old Fusako Sano

Fusako Sano disappeared while walking home from her school where she’d been watching a school baseball game. No one knew what happened to the 9-year-old until many years later when a 73-year-old woman concerned about her son’s mental health called police requesting assistance.

====================================================

On November 13, 1990, fourth-grader Fusako Sano watched a baseball game at her school, then left on foot headed home. She never made it back home. The 9-year-old disappeared, leaving no evidence of her whereabouts. Massive searches organized by police turned up no traces of Sano.

People feared the worst but held the hope of finding Sano alive one day. Years passed by without any clues or word from Sano, then a phone call to the police changed everything.

Mother Worried About Son’s Violent Behavior

Nine years after the 1990 disappearance, a woman called mental health authorities with concerns over her son’s violent behavior. Authorities did not take any action against 37-year-old Nobuyuki Sato after this or a subsequent call. His mother became increasingly fearful for her life.

She finally called the police for help when she feared her son would murder her.

Police responded to the home in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, where they discovered 19-year-old Fusako Sano, the 9-year-old who disappeared without a trace nine years and two months earlier.

The teenager immediately told officers her name and her story.

“I was abducted near the school by a man who forced me into a car. For nine years I did not take a step out of the house. Today, I went out for the first time.”

Sitting almost directly across the road from a police substation and 33-miles from the location of the kidnapping, the home shared by Sato and his mother became the only place Sano knew for nine years.

Sato kept the girl tied up for several months after the kidnapping. He did not allow her to shower and she could not watch TV until the last year of captivity. Sato regularly beat Sano and used a stun gun on her as a form of punishment.

Though Sato eventually untied the girl, he kept her hidden upstairs in the home. His mother occupied the bottom floor. She was never charged with a crime and denied knowledge of the girl being inside the home. Police suspect otherwise, claiming she purchased feminine hygiene products for her on at least one occasion. Sato did become violent and aggressive toward the mother any time she came near the upstairs.

The girl told police she eventually accepted her fate and had “gave up” ever being free or with her parents again. She was too afraid of Sato to dare try to escape. He threatened her regularly and she took those threats seriously.

Unfit to Stand Trial

Once in custody, authorities transported Sato to a psychiatric hospital where he spent the next month before psychiatrists determined he was fit to stand trial. Police then charged him with Sano’s kidnapping.

Sato Pleaded Guilty; Sentenced

He eventually pleaded guilty to kidnapping, however, laws in Japan allowed him a maximum sentence of 15-years. He was sentenced to 14-years, which was reduced to 11-years on appeal. However, the original 14-year sentence was later reinstated by the Japanese Supreme Court.

Share This Story

Thanks for reading the Fusako Sano story. If you like what you read, share it on social media. You can hit the social media tabs on this page to share the story or just copy/paste the link on your favorite site. Your support is greatly appreciated. Be sure to check out the main CM page for more crime stories!