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THE BODY of British teacher Alice Hodgkinson has been found in Japan eight days after she went missing, her devastated family said today.
Her tearful dad Steve Hodgkinson told how they had received “the worst news imaginable” by police and said they were “at a complete loss.”
Concerns had been raised last week when Alice, 28, from Nottingham failed to turn up for work at the English language school where she taught in Yokohama, near Tokyo.
Her worried friends in the country, where the Edinburgh University graduate had been living for more than a year, launched a poster campaign in a bid to find her.
Her family in the UK faced an agonising wait for news and desperately clung onto a glimmer of hope she could still be alive – although her dad admitted earlier this week: “We fear the worse.”
It appears Alice took her own life and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.
Retired computer software engineer Steve, 68, said at his Nottingham home he shares with son Peter, 32: “We were notified last night. Police told me that had found Alice’s body. It was the worst news imaginable.
“We are devastated and it is a very difficult time for our family.”
Steve – divorced from Alice’s mum NHS worker Julie, 63, who also lives in Nottingham – added: “We are at a complete loss and her mother is struggling, she’s beside herself with grief.”
The family want to repatriate her body as soon as possible.
He said he wasn’t yet sure if he and his son would be travelling to Japan, saying: “We’ve not decided what best to do. If we go out there we’ll need to quarantine in a hotel for two weeks. But we need to bring Alice home.”
He added: “Close family are aware. It is not a murder investigation and police are not looking for anyone else in connection with her death.”
It is understood officers who broke into Alice’s apartment on July 1 after she was reported missing found a note addressed to her dad and brother.
Steve was too upset to say where his daughter’s body was found or how she had died.
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Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
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- Always keep some money or a bank card on you, including change in case you need a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to move towards an exit if you are inside the house and get your phone in case you need to call for help.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other potential weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available every day from 10am-6pm or email helpline@womensaid.org.uk
SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Her heartbroken father had previously told how he was “anxiously waiting by the phone” for news on his daughter just days before her body was discovered.
She was last seen on June 29 but he had received an email from her the following day – the last one she sent.
He earlier described Alice’s mother, Julie, being “quite distressed” amid the news of her daughter’s disappearance.
He said: “I’d got a Father’s Day present from her, a membership to Sheffield University Theatre, and I responded with an email thanking her.
She then sent an email in reply, that was our last communication and everything seemed absolutely fine.
“As far as we know she wasn’t depressed, she seemed to be leading a happy, fulfilling life.”
Mr Hodgkinson, who last saw Alice in 2019 before she went to live abroad, said they had a “good relationship.”
Before her body was found he said: “We are very very anxious. You hear of awful things happening all the time and my daughter wouldn’t just disappear.
“She has not been in contact with anybody. It is totally out of character and I’m afraid we fear the worse.”
In a heartfelt plea to his daughter, he said: “Alice, please, please make contact. So many people are concerned about you. You are very much loved. Please get in touch.”
He told how Interpol had joined forces with Nottinghamshire and Japanese police in the search for Alice as her frantic friends in the country where she has lived since March last year have launched a poster campaign in a bid to help find her.
He described his single daughter as “a bright young lady and quite outgoing in sharing her views on veganism, animal welfare and human rights, adding: “She was a bit of a loner at times, not the partying type and not lookingfor a relationship.”
He told how Alice was reported missing after failing to turn up for work last week.
He explained: “She hadn’t been in work for a few days and her bosses were getting concerned for her wellbeing. They got the police involved and launched an investigation.
“We’ve desperately been trying to call her but her phone’s not doing anything. It’s either switched off or the battery is dead. She wouldn’t normally be out of contact for so long.
“Something’s wrong. It’s very worrying. We would normally speak face to face on Skype every four weeks and exchange the odd email in between.”
He told how Alice, who graduated from Edinburgh University with a Masters degree in Psychology, didn’t speak any Japanese but “relied on Google Translate.”
Alice shared an apartment block in Yokohama – 20 miles south of Tokyo – with different nationality tenants and intended to stay in the country for another year.
Nottingham-born Alice had travelled to Tokyo last March to teach English at an English conversation school and had been living in the Kanagawa prefecture.
Alice’s brother Peter had also began an online appeal in hopes of finding his sister, explaining that UK and Japanese authorities were both working to locate the 28-year-old.
She would regularly keep in contact with her parents via video calls and emails.
Source: thesun
