Hawker's parents visit Ichihashi's apartment, appear on TV

Monday, July 2, 2007 at 08:01 EDT

TOKYO — The parents of murdered British teacher Lindsay Ann hawker visited the apartment of prime suspect Tatsuya Ichihashi on Sunday "to say a proper goodbye" to their daughter at the spot where she was killed. On Saturday, William and Julia Hawker also appeared on the Japanese crime watch program, "TV no Chikara," to make a dramatic public appeal for information on Ichihashi, 28, who has been on the run for three months.

"If anybody watching the program knows the whereabouts of Ichihashi, please call in," Julia urged viewers. William Hawker said he wanted to kill Ichihashi with his own hands.

According to Reuters, TV program officials said they had received more than 40,000 tips on Hawker's case and several others covered in the broadcast by the end of the program.

After visiting Ichihashi's apartment in Ichikawa, Julia told reporters: "To think that she ended up somewhere like this, that this was the last place she ever saw, is just horrible. But as mother, I needed to do it. I brought her into this world and I wanted to see where she'd been taken away from it."

During their trip, the Hawkers have learned gruesome details of their daughter's murder and the steps taken by her killer to dispose of her body. The Times of London reported that Ichihashi appeared to have every intention of living, as normal, with Hawker's body in a bathtub on his balcony. He had even planted flowers in the bathtub.

"We know he went out of the flat and bought eight big bags of soil and sand, as well as chemicals in order to help the decomposition process. He also cut off her hair. He clearly knew that our hair is one of the last things that decomposes," William Hawker was quoted as saying.

Police said Friday they have received more than 1,000 tips and questioned 150 people. In an attempt to kickstart their stalled investigation, police have offered a 1 million yen reward for information leading to the arrest of Ichihashi. Police officers handed out wanted posters at Chiba, Gyotoku, Shinjuku, Ikebukuro and other train stations in the afternoon.

For information about the case visit: www.lindsayannhawker.com.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/411097