A US Marine has been arrested in Okinawa on suspicion of murder and robbery after a woman was found dead in a hotel room on the Japanese island.
The 20-year-old suspect was identified by Japanese news outlet Asahi as Devin Jacob Ballard. He is reportedly stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
Ballard was detained after the body of 39-year-old Anna Yagi was discovered in a Naha hotel early Saturday.
Police suspect Yagi was killed between 2am and 4am, with investigators alleging that her wallet and other personal belongings were taken afterward.
The alarm was raised when Yagi did not leave the room by the hotel’s scheduled checkout time.
A hotel employee became concerned, unlocked the door and entered. Yagi was found unconscious inside the room.
Emergency services were called at approximately 4.20am, but Yagi was pronounced dead at the scene.
Japanese police cordon off an area in Naha, Okinawa, while investigating the death of 39-year-old Anna Yagi, who was found in a hotel room
A 20-year-old US Marine identified by local media as Devin Jacob Ballard has reportedly been arrested over the woman’s death
Police said surveillance footage showed a man entering the hotel with Yagi before leaving alone
Police initially began an urgent search for an unidentified man after examining the hotel’s security footage.
The cameras appeared to show a man and a woman entering the hotel together, followed by the man leaving the building alone.
Investigators said the footage showed the suspect walking out through the hotel entrance carrying belongings that belonged to Yagi.
The man was described as having a shaved head and wearing a black tank top, three-quarter-length trousers and white sneakers. The belongings were later located near the hotel.
Authorities believed the unidentified man might hold crucial information about the events inside the room and launched a search to find him.
Ballard was subsequently arrested on suspicion of murder and robbery, police said.
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Investigators have not released the full circumstances of Yagi’s death. It also remains unclear how Ballard and Yagi knew each other.
A spokesperson for the Marines in Okinawa, Japan, said the military was cooperating with local law enforcement.
‘We are actively cooperating with Japanese authorities in response to allegations of serious criminal actions by a Marine assigned to the III Marine Expeditionary Force. We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and friends.
‘The Marine Corps takes these allegations very seriously and expects every Marine to adhere to the highest standards of behavior. The Marine is in custody of local authorities while the investigation proceeds,’ the spokesperson told Our News Outlet.
Yagi was found unresponsive inside a hotel room after she failed to check out
An aerial view of a US military installation on the Japanese island of Okinawa
US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in its location in a crowded residential area of Ginowan, Okinawa Prefecture, southern Japan
Ballard was stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a major American military installation on Okinawa.
The sprawling air station is located in Ginowan, north of Naha, and serves as a strategically important hub for US Marine Corps operations in the Indo-Pacific.
The Marine Corps says Futenma’s mission includes supporting Marine forces and American, joint and allied forces while maintaining readiness to respond to crises and contingency operations across the region.
Okinawa itself has an enormous American military presence and is home to III Marine Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Installations Pacific, along with a network of Marine Corps installations.
The US military presence on the island means thousands of American service personnel are stationed in the region.
Our News Outlet has contacted the Marines and the Department of War for comment.
The Okinawa Prefectural Police have also been contacted for further details.
