Three days ago, a five-year-old boy from Kumamoto Prefecture disappeared while staying with his family at a hot spring complex in the city of Kirishima. While security teams continue their search work, the child’s parents spoke to the press, detailing the events that led to his disappearance. A reporter at the scene highlighted that provincial police drones were deployed in the rain to assist in the search.
According to police authorities, Tanaka Reo, a student at a children’s school located in the city of Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, was last seen at around 3:35 pm on the 21st. The incident occurred at the Kareigawa no Yu hot spring complex, in the town of Kareigawa, in Hayato-cho, Kirishima City. His parents were distracted for about three minutes after finishing the shower and before heading to the locker room. The police’s main line of investigation points out that Reo may have climbed out of the window and possibly fallen into the nearby river.
Intensified efforts in the search for Mineomi
This Tuesday, the 23rd, an extensive search operation was launched in the morning, involving approximately 100 police officers and firefighters. Most of the efforts were concentrated in the vicinity of the river adjacent to the thermal complex. In the afternoon, divers were called to explore the area around the water intake and canal of the Kyushu Electric Power hydroelectric plant, downstream from the point of disappearance, but Mineomi was not found. The boy is about 120 centimeters tall, has black hair and was last seen without clothes. So far, teams have not found any clues leading to his whereabouts.
Family account of the day of disappearance
Mineomi’s parents gave a press interview on the 23rd, where they shared details about the day of her disappearance. The family revealed that, on June 21, after visiting the Hirakawa Zoo, in the city of Kagoshima, they went to an establishment in Kirishima to bathe before returning to Kumamoto Prefecture. The four members — the parents, Mineomi and her two-year-old brother — used the family bathroom on site. During the shower, the bathroom window and door were open. The mother and younger brother left first, heading to the locker room, followed by the father.
Mineomi’s passion for baths
The parents said that Mineomi always showed great appreciation for baths. According to them, the boy liked to make the most of the moment and often wanted to stay in the bathroom until the end. This preference meant that he was alone in the facility for a few moments while other family members went to the locker room.
Locked door and discovery of disappearance
After getting dressed in the locker room, Mineomi’s father tried to open the bathroom door to remove his son, who had remained inside. However, the door was locked from the inside. When he managed to unlock it with the help of a coin and enter the room, the father realized that Mineomi was no longer there. The door leading to the outdoor bathtub, adjacent to the bathroom, was quite heavy, which made the father rule out the possibility that a child could easily open it. He then looked out the window that was open.
Location details and the father theory
Looking through the window, the father noticed an air conditioning unit positioned below. “There was an air conditioning unit right below. It could have gone down there,” said the father. An employee at the complex reported that the height from the window to the exterior of the property is approximately 1.5 meters. Between the window and the ground, there is an air conditioning unit about 50 centimeters high. In addition, there is a wooded area and a retaining wall between the family bath and the river, with a total distance of about 8 meters to the water.
The desperate jump into the river
Mineomi’s father admitted to having lost eye contact with his son for about three minutes. Convinced that Mineomi could have left through the window, the father did not hesitate: he jumped from the window, entered the river and swam towards a bridge downstream, in search of the child. However, their desperate attempt did not result in finding the boy.
Parental concerns and continued searches
Mineomi’s parents expressed deep concern that their son has not yet been located and expressed their hope that he will be found as soon as possible. The police and fire department suspended search operations at 4:30 pm this Tuesday, the 23rd. The teams promise to resume their search for Mineomi on Wednesday, the 24th, first thing in the morning.