Mystery As Engineer, Doctor Wife And Son Found Stabbed To Death Inside Locked Apartment

A Japanese family of an engineer, his doctor wife and their 23-year-old son have been found dead with multiple stab wounds inside their locked apartment in Brazil.

The bodies of paediatrician Claudia Hitomi Shimada Furuyama, 57, civil engineer Marcos Alberto Furuyama, 58, and their 23-year-old son Rafael were discovered in the Agua Verde neighbourhood of Curitiba, Parana, on Tuesday, 25th August.

The deaths came to light after Claudia's colleagues became concerned when she failed to appear at the health centre where she had worked for more than 20 years in nearby Araucaria.

Neighbours had also noticed the family's absence and the persistent barking of their dog, while some reported a bad smell coming from the apartment.

A representative of the condominium and police were called before a locksmith was brought in to open the property, which was locked from the inside.

Claudia and Rafael were found in the couple's bedroom, while Marcos was found dead in another bedroom inside the three-bedroom apartment.

All three had suffered multiple stab wounds, mainly to the chest and abdomen, with some superficial injuries also found on their backs.

Police recovered a kitchen knife and a dagger with traces of blood, which have been sent for forensic testing to establish whose blood was on the weapons and help reconstruct the sequence of events.

Detective Ivo Viana, who is leading the investigation, said it was too early to determine exactly what happened inside the property.

He said: "We still cannot determine the dynamics of how this happened inside the property."

He added that investigators needed forensic examinations to establish the angle, size and position of the wounds and determine whether they were inflicted by one of the victims or by another person.

There were no obvious signs of a break-in, while neighbours told police they had heard no screams or calls for help and had not seen anyone suspicious entering or leaving the apartment.

Police are investigating a number of possibilities, including the theory that Marcos killed Claudia and Rafael before taking his own life, but this has not been confirmed.

Investigators are also examining whether financial difficulties could have played a role after it emerged that the family's apartment had been placed in a court-ordered auction.

The property had been valued at around BRL 650,000 (GBP 92,885), and the legal proceedings were linked to a case involving a construction company of which Marcos had been a partner.

An enforcement officer had previously visited the condominium to notify the family about the proceedings.

However, police have stressed that no motive has been established and that the financial situation has not been confirmed as a cause of the deaths.

Investigators are now examining security camera footage, access records, mobile phones, forensic evidence and witness statements as they try to establish when and how the three died.

Claudia was remembered by Araucaria officials as a doctor who had spent more than two decades caring for children, while Rafael was studying Mechatronics Engineering at the Federal University of Technology - Parana and had competed in the 2025 Brazilian Robotics Competition.

The family had last been known to have contact with someone on Sunday, 22nd August, when a friend exchanged messages with Claudia after visiting the condominium to deliver a package.

Police have not ruled out the involvement of a fourth person and said the final forensic results will be crucial to determining what happened.

(Marija Stojkoska/Newsflash)