Man buried dad in yard to avoid cost of a funeral

TAKAMATSU, Kagawa Pref. (Kyodo) A 59-year-old man and his 85-year-old mother were arrested Sunday on suspicion of abandoning the body of his father by burying it in the yard of his home in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.

A skeletonized body was dug up from the yard Saturday. The suspects were identified as Fumio Makizuka, a part-time shop attendant, and his mother, Fumiko. Investigators suspect the body is that of Buntaro Makizuka, 93.

The son was quoted by police as saying he hid the body because he could not afford a funeral and did not want his father's pension benefits to stop coming.

Investigators found the body after a relative reported to police that the elder Makizuka had gone missing.

According to investigators, the pair did not notify authorities of the man's death when he passed away in the house in September.

The son told police his father died of old age.