TOKYO, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The body of a 4-year-old boy abducted with his younger brother in Japan's Tochigi prefecture Saturday was found Thursday morning on a river sandbar.
A self-described construction worker, Akihiro Shimoyama, 39, admitted he threw both siblings alive into the Omoigawa River on the day of the abduction, after punching and kicking them.
The younger brother's body was found Tuesday. Based on Shimoyama's information, police had conducted an extensive search along the river.
The elder brother, Kazuto Kobayashi, was found lying face up on a sandbar about 6 miles downstream from the place where his brother, Hayato, 3, was discovered earlier.
Police are questioning Shimoyama, who reportedly complained about living together with the Kobayashi family in a small apartment. Reports suggest he was under the influence of drugs.
It was one of a growing number of cases of child abuse and murder that have shocked the Japanese public in recent months.
