The Alice Killings

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The Alice Killings remain, to this day, one of the strangest and most unsolvable serial killings in Japan. 
From 1999–2005, a series of five murders took place. They might each have been completely unrelated, if not for the "calling card" that the killer left at each crime scene. He would deposit a playing card (it varied from killing to killing) at each scene, in an obvious location, that had "Alice" written on it in the victim's blood.
Very few other clues were found at each crime scene, and eventually, the case went cold. Below are the details of each killing.
==Sasaki Megumi==
The first victim was Sasaki Megumi, a twenty-nine-year-old restaurant owner. Those who knew her described her as a headstrong woman with a short temper and a sharp tongue when dealing with her employees. She was known by her customers for her fine cooking and dedication to her job. Outside of that job, Megumi was very social, and often went to parties. It was after one such party that she went missing. 
She had decided to walk home from her friend's house, seeing as she was only a block from home and a bit too drunk to drive. Several people offered to drive her home, but she shrugged them off. She was seen leaving the party at one in the morning, which is the last time she was seen alive.
The next morning, a couple walking in the woods about a mile from Megumi's house saw a large amount of blood on an overgrown, unused path. Curious, they followed it, and found Megumi's body. She had been torn apart, her body impaled on various tree branches. The couple called the police, who found the playing card crammed into Megumi's mouth. It was a Jack of Spades, which had the word "Alice" written on it, as previously mentioned. 
There were no fingerprints or any DNA to be found. There was vomit on the scene, but the female of the couple admitted that it was hers.
==Yamane Akio==
Yamane Akio was a barely known singer in a band that never played anything more than various bars and community functions. His friends described him as a kind-hearted man who would never raise his voice offstage. After his death, his band fell apart, not having the heart to find a new singer.
Akio was abducted from his apartment on February 11, 2001. His bandmates were the last people to see him alive, as he had practiced with them earlier in the day. That night, his girlfriend came to visit him, and was surprised to find the house empty. Within days, a missing persons report was filed, and a search for him began.
On the security footage of the apartment, a hooded figure could be seen entering through a side door and leaving with a large garbage bag that bulged strangely. This appearance was never accounted for, and no one saw the strange man in person. He is widely believed to be the killer, but his face was never shown, and there appears to be some doubt.
The following week, the owner of the bar "Yoshida's" (where the band had often performed) was opening for the day, and was met with a grisly sight. Slumped at a table was Akio's body. His vocal cords had been ripped from his throat, and he had been shot in the head. His "Alice" card was a King of Diamonds, and was found clutched in his hands, along with his ruined vocal cords.
==Kai Sakura==
A teenage girl, Kai Sakura had her whole life ahead of her. She was a sweet girl, and well-loved by her classmates and relatives. She wanted to go to college to be a fashion designer, and was a week from graduating high school when she was abducted.
Sakura's family went frantic trying to find her, and the whole town was combed for the lost girl. Her body was found two days later, buried in a shallow grave. It didn't seem that the killer wanted her hidden — on the contrary, he had marked her grave with her "Alice" playing card, the queen of clubs. It had been taped to a stick and stuck on top of the grave.
Sakura's body had been horribly mutilated. Her eyes had been carved from her body, her skin was flayed, and her mouth had been sliced open. A crown was sewn to her head, likely while she was still alive. No sexual crimes had been committed, either pre or post-mortem.
Along with Sakura's body was a note, written in straggly handwriting. It contained many disjointed phrases, some of which were unreadable. "Death is a distorted dream.", "She will forever rule.", and "Ha! Ha! Those which die are the lucky ones." were various phrases that had been written, among others. A match to the handwriting was never found.
==Oshiro Hayato and Hina==
These two were the last of the killings, and the least gruesome. Hayato and Hina were very close siblings. Hina was the very stubborn elder sister and her younger brother, Hayato, was very smart. He had skipped a grade, causing him to be in the same class as his beloved sister. The two rarely fought, as most siblings tended to do.
They were found dead in their beds on April 4, 2005. The cause of death was a lethal injection. The children's bedroom window was open, and it was deduced that the killer snuck in quietly enough to kill the two without waking them, then snuck back out. Each child held half of an Ace of Hearts playing card that, when put together, spelled out the word "Alice."
One very smudged footprint was found on their carpet, but closer inspection was made impossible by the severe damage done to the print. This was the only piece of evidence, other than the playing card, left at the scene.
A year later, the mother of Hayato and Hina committed suicide out of grief. Their father, who is still alive to this day, is going through extensive therapy to get over the death of his entire family. At this moment, he is extremely depressed and heavily medicated.
==Aftermath==
Shortly after the death of the Oshiro siblings, a man named Suzuki Yuuto was arrested for the killings. He was a bum with mental problems, who claimed to "not remember" where he was at the time of any of the murders. Most damning of all, he was seen wearing a coat that had belonged to Yamane Akio. A patch of blood on the sleeve tested positive to be his. Yuuto, who was raving at this point, claimed that a "demon black man with no face" had given him the coat.
Yuuto was eventually released when a homeless shelter five miles from the Kai household claimed to have him in their files for the night of Sakura's murder. Since there was no way for him to get to where she was abducted and back without being noticed, he was let go.
On April 30, 2008, a producer known as Yugami-P uploaded his first song to nicovideo, called Hitobashira Arisu (translated roughly as 'Alice of Human Sacrifice'). This song is believed to be based off of the Alice Killings. It tells the story of a "little dream" who lures people into its world, then goes on to tell the story of each "Alice".
The song has a few parallels with each killing: 
The first Alice (depicted as MEIKO) was trapped in the woods, which is where Megumi's body was found.
The second Alice (depicted as KAITO) was a singer who was "shot by a madman."
The third Alice (depicted as Hatsune Miku) was well loved, became the country's queen, then was taken over by a "distorted dream."
The fourth Alice (depicted as Kagamine Rin/Len) was a pair of twins regarded as one "Alice". They are described as a "stubborn" big sister and "intelligent" younger brother. It also speaks of how they have "yet to awaken," a possible reference to them dying in their sleep. In addition, the suits of the cards found with each body are also mentioned. 
Yugami-P has not stated for sure if this song has any relation to the Alice Killings, but it is widely assumed.
 The video provided at the top of the page is not the original, and was chosen only for its subtitles. The popularity of the song has spawned several fan-made videos, and this is an example of one. The original video was very ambiguous, only showing vague pictures of the vocalist voicing each part. For those of you who want to watch it without a NND account, it can be viewed here.
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