Family kept the mummified remains of their daughter because they were convinced she was still alive 

The family of a Japanese woman found mummified in her Yorkshire cottage were convinced she was still alive, according to an inquest heard yesterday.

Police found the body of Cambridge graduate Rina Yasutake, 49, on a mattress in a second-floor room after she apparently wasted away from not eating.

Detectives discovered that the family, consisting of an elderly mother and three siblings, lived in isolation from the world without modern technology such as television or radio.

They even communicated with each other using a “unique” Japanese dialect, an inquest at Northallerton Coroner’s Court heard.

A journal entry found at the cottage in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, indicated that Rina “did not respond” on August 18, 2018. It was unclear who the author was.

Police came to the house, after being alerted by a pharmacist, more than five weeks later, on September 25, to discover the gruesome scene.

The family had been using surgical alcohol to ‘cleanse’ her body and there were signs of mummification when police found her remains, the inquest said.

But Detective Inspector Nichola Holden, the lead investigating officer, agreed with the family’s lawyer that Rina’s loved ones were “absolutely convinced that she was still alive.”

She said: ‘Yes, they were. They were at the time and for many months after.

For 20 years, Rina lived with her mother Michiko, now 80, her brother Takahiro, 51, and sister Yoshika, 56. They left Japan after Michiko married a British man and moved to Helmsley when they separated. .

Detectives discovered that the family, consisting of an elderly mother, Michiko, and three siblings, lived in isolation from the world without modern technology such as television or radio.

Rina was a gifted artist who had received a private education at Queen Mary’s School near Thirsk before reading classics at Cambridge. But she didn’t work after she got out of college.

She visited her GP in 2013 due to her family’s concern about “aggressive episodes”, but had not sought any other medical treatment since then.

Following her father’s death in Japan, Rina stopped eating and eventually went to bed and “stopped moving,” the inquest heard.

Originally, the family members were to stand trial for not allowing a lawful burial, but the charge was dismissed as not in the “public interest”.

Rina’s brothers told consulting psychiatrist John Kent that she stopped eating and eventually stopped moving.

A journal found in the cabin in Helmsley said that Rina “did not respond” on August 18, 2018.

But Yoshika did not accept that she was dead, telling the doctor, “She was still breathing, her body was warm, and she still had a pulse.”

He didn’t tell us much. So we said eat and drink more. She seemed like she fed by eating her soul. I do not know how to explain. Although she did not eat, she was fed with spiritual food and was satisfied.’

The alarm was raised after local pharmacist Eva Ward became concerned that the family was buying large quantities of surgical alcohol. Mrs. Ward said that Takahiro Yasutake had a pink folder with letters and saw Rina’s name among them. Mrs Ward asked about the liquor bottles: ‘Are they for her?’ – and he agreed.

Police went to the address and paramedic Karen Tomlinson said it was obvious she had been dead “for a few weeks”.

A post mortem examination established that there were no signs of injury, disease or drugs. The cause of death was ‘unknown’. There were no indications of suspicious circumstances.

Coroner Jon Heath recorded an open conclusion.