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 outlet Asahi as Devin Jacob Ballard, who is reportedly assigned to Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
Ballard was detained after 39-year-old Anna Yagi was found dead in a Naha hotel early Saturday.
Investigators believe Yagi was killed between 2am and 4am. Police also suspect the young Marine took her wallet and other personal possessions.
The alarm was raised when Yagi did not leave the room by the hotel’s scheduled checkout time.
A hotel employee, concerned by her failure to check out, opened the door and found Yagi unconscious inside.
Emergency responders were called at about 4.20am, but Yagi was declared dead at the scene.
Japanese police seal off part of Naha, Okinawa, while investigating the death of 39-year-old Anna Yagi, who was found in a hotel room
Local media identified the arrested 20-year-old US Marine as Devin Jacob Ballard in connection with Yagi’s death
Police said surveillance footage showed an unidentified man entering the hotel with Yagi before leaving alone
Police initially began searching 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’s departure without her.
Police said the footage also showed the suspect leaving through the hotel entrance while carrying belongings that belonged to Yagi.
Authorities described him as having a shaved head and wearing a black tank top, three-quarter-length trousers and white sneakers. The woman’s possessions were later recovered near the hotel.
Investigators believed the unidentified man might hold key information about events inside the room and launched a search for him.
Ballard was later arrested on suspicion of robbery and murder, according to police.
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Authorities have not released details about how Yagi died, and it remains unclear what connection, if any, existed between her and Ballard.
A spokesperson for the Marines in Okinawa said the military was cooperating with Japanese 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 the Daily Mail.
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.
The Daily Mail has contacted the Marines and the Department of War for comment.
The Okinawa Prefectural Police have also been contacted for further details.