Editing Kaoru Kobayashi (section)

== Kidnapping and murder ==
On November 17, 2004, Kobayashi kidnapped seven-year-old Kaede Ariyama at random while she travelled from Tomio North Elementary School to her home, near the west-side police station in Tomio. Using Ariyama's cellular phone, Kobayashi sent a photograph of the girl to her mother with the message: "I've got your daughter".<sup>[4]</sup> Kobayashi then murdered Ariyama, and dumped her body in the town of Heguri in the Ikoma District of Nara Prefecture, which was found that night. The autopsy revealed the cause of Ariyama's death to be drowning; the water collected in her lungs was not dirty, so it was assumed that she had been drowned in a sink or bathtub. Several of her teeth were missing and abrasions were found on her hands and feet, which were assumed to have been done by Kobayashi after her death.<sup>[5]</sup> It also appeared that Kobayashi had undressed Ariyama before murdering her and then re-dressed her afterwards.

On December 14, 2004, Kobayashi sent an email from Ariyama's cellular phone to her mother's cellular phone, saying "I'll take her baby sister next" with a photograph

Kobayashi had shown off a photograph of Ariyama to a waitress and customers in a local bar, claiming to have got the photograph from a website.