Japanese man wanted for the murder of Norwegian in Laos has been found and arrested 

Hiroyuki “Hiro” Ogu

The Japanese man who is accused of killing Norwegian Nerid Høiness in Laos last year has, according to a press release from the police in Laos, been found and arrested in Laos on 20 November, Dagbladet reports.

Nerid Høiness was 30 years old when she went missing in Laos in December 2019. She was found killed in the jungle on 22 January 2020. Her boyfriend Hiroyuki “Hiro” Ogu was accused of the murder and wanted internationally via Interpol. He has now been found and arrested, the police in Laos writes.

Nerid Høiness went missing after she went on a motorcycle trip from the holiday island of Koh Phangan in Thailand to Vang Vieng in Laos with her 38-year-old boyfriend. Here she was reportedly abused, beaten to death, and dumped in the jungle. 

A prior article in Dagbladet states that several witnesses have explained to the police in Laos that they had heard screams from the room the couple rented at the hotel for several days. On January 9, 2020, several people reported that they saw Hiroyuki Ogu carrying Nerid’s lifeless body out of the hotel, where he then strapped her body onto the motorcycle. Two weeks later, the body of Nerid Høiness was found in the jungle in Laos. Laos police started their investigation and her boyfriend Hiroyuki Ogu was accused of the murder but police could not find him. Until now. 

Section leader Knut Erik Ågrav at Sørøst police district says to Dagbladet that it has been the police in Laos’ job to investigate and find the murderer who has been wanted through Interpol. The Norwegian police have also helped carry out some investigative steps in Norway while her relatives have been working hard on helping the case as well by providing information on where Hiroyuki ‘Hiro’ Ogu could be. 

Although Hiroyuki ‘Hiro’ Ogu was arrested over one month ago, the Norwegian police have only been notified now and Knut Erik Ågrav says that he does not know why it did not happen sooner. 

He emphasizes however that the police in Tønsberg have not been in direct contact with the police in Laos and only through international partners such as Interpol.

Nerid Høiness

About Gregers Møller

Editor-in-Chief • ScandAsia Publishing Co., Ltd. • Bangkok, Thailand

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