The Full Story: The Japanese Woman Who Lived Undetected In A Stranger’s Closet For 1 Year

In 2008, an unnamed 57-year old man from Kasuya, Fukuoka, noticed that several items in his kitchen began to slowly disappear. He blamed himself at first, thinking he could have become a sleepwalker.

Unfortunately, the food in his home continued to disappear. Paranoia quickly set in and he began to increase his security measures. He kept his windows shut and made sure to lock his door before leaving. He also installed surveillance cameras and linked them to an app on his phone.

It was this decision that finally led to the arrest of the culprit.

The Discovery

The man got the fright of his life when he played back the cameras while at work. He found a woman moving around his house as if she lived there. She took food from his refrigerator, ate a few bites, then moved to the living room to watch some television. When she was done with her meal, she cleaned up the living room and left.

The resident called the police and turned in his evidence. The latter’s investigation revealed the details behind this one-in-a-million intrusion.

The Truth

The culprit was none other than 58-year old Tatsuko Horikawa, a homeless woman who snuck inside after the man kept the door to his house unlocked. Once in, she never left…at least until a year later when the police were alerted to her presence.

They found that not only did the resident unwittingly share his food and entertainment facilities, but also his sleeping quarters and bathroom. Horikawa apparently slept in the top of the closet where he kept his mattress (futon) in. It was just large enough for her to lay in vertically, and here she slept on her own thin futon surrounded by bottles of water.

As if guilty for intruding on the old man, Horikawa did her best to keep the area neat and tidy. She minimized her mess and even cleaned the man’s toilet and shower after each use.

It was confirmed that she did not steal money or any item of value.