FUGITIVE
CASE #: 2004-56
ATM Phantom
Status:
Open
Date of Last Contact:
Date of Last Contact:
Jurisdiction:
Missing From:
Yokkaichi, Mie
Summary:
An unidentified woman known as the 'ATM Phantom' is wanted in connection with an attempted robbery and the death of a 68-year-old man on February 17, 2004, in Yokkaichi, Japan. After watching the man withdraw money from an ATM at a JUSCO shopping center, she attempted to rob him while holding a baby. The confrontation resulted in his death from heart failure, and the woman fled with the child. Her identity remains unknown despite police efforts.
Vital Statistics
Circumstances of Offense:
On February 17, 2004, a 68-year-old man withdrew money from an ATM at a JUSCO shopping center in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. An unidentified young woman with a baby strapped to her chest had been observing customers at the ATM. After the man completed his withdrawal, the woman deliberately bumped into him and attempted to reach into his clothing to steal his wallet. The man realized what was happening and resisted. The woman then screamed that she was being robbed, falsely claiming the elderly man was attacking her. Bystanders in the supermarket believed her cries and tackled the elderly man to the ground. When police arrived, they used forceful restraint against the 68-year-old man, causing him to vomit and lose consciousness. He died of heart failure the following day. During the incident, the woman and the baby she was carrying vanished from the scene.
Additional Details:
CCTV footage from the JUSCO supermarket was reviewed by police and confirmed that the woman was the actual perpetrator of the attempted robbery, not the elderly man. A year after the incident, in 2005, police released a crudely enhanced CCTV still frame of the woman's face in an attempt to identify her and generate public tips. The image quality was poor and the enhancement process created an eerie, mask-like appearance of her face. This unsettling image led the public and media to refer to the suspect as 'the ATM Phantom.' Despite the public release of her image and ongoing investigation, the woman's true identity has never been established, and her current whereabouts remain unknown. The case remains one of Japan's unsolved mysteries.
Case Last Updated:
Associated Persons
Unknown U. (Associate) - Unknown
Unknown U. (Victim) - Deceased
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