Three found dead with nails stuck in their heads in Nagano home

NAGANO — Three members of a family were found dead early Friday morning with 20-cm-long nails hammered into their heads, police said. The bodies were discovered around two hours after a car was found abandoned on a bridge in Karuizawa. A note on the steering wheel said: "I am sorry for not turning myself in."

Police traced the car to Hideshi Kojima, 48, a company employee living in Miyota, Nagano Prefecture. When they visited his house, they discovered the bodies, believed to be Kojima, his 78-year-old mother-in-law, and his 18-year-old daughter. Kojima's 45-year-old wife is missing, police said, adding they found another note in the wife's handwriting.

Police said an autopsy is planned to determine the cause of death, since they suspect the trio may already have been dead when the nails were hammered in.