In 2000, Lucie Blackman, 21, went missing while working in Japan. Seven months later, her body was found buried in a cave 30 miles south of Tokyo.
Netflix are looking into the case of Lucie Blackman, a young British woman who went missing in 2000 while working in Japan.
Lucie’s disappearance sparked an international investigation and seven months after her disappearance, her body was found buried in a cave.
In April 2001, Korean-Japanese property developer, Joji Obara, was arrested for suspected involvement in Lucie’s death.
In the one-off film, titled Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case, the shocking and tragic case is re-examined using unprecedented interviews with the Japanese detectives who led the case.
So, who was Lucie Blackman? And what happened to her?
As the documentary airs on Netflix, read on for everything you need to know about the Lucie Blackman case, including where Joji Obara is now.
Who was Lucie Blackman?
Lucie Blackman was a 21-year-old British woman.
She previously worked as a flight attendant for British Airways, before moving to Japan to work at the Casablanca nightclub in Tokyo.
While working at the club, she would go on paid dates with customers.
What happened to Lucie Blackman?
On 1st July 2000, Lucie went on a date with a customer.
She made various calls to a friend, Louise Phillips, who had travelled to Japan with her.
Following the date, Phillips received a call from a stranger who told her that Lucie had joined a cult and that she would never see or hear from her again.
Phillips immediately contacted Lucie’s family, who flew out to Tokyo in hopes of finding her.
Lucie’s family began a media campaign and then-prime minister, Tony Blair, promised to raise the issue with his Japanese counterpart at a G8 summit.
On 9th February 2001, seven months after her disappearance, Lucie’s body was found buried in a cave near a beach 30 miles south of Tokyo.
Her body was badly decomposed, which meant the cause of death could not be determined at the time.
In April 2001, property developer Joji Obara was arrested over Lucie’s death. He had previously admitted to meeting her, but denied any involvement in her death.
Three women later came forward, who all described experiences of having woken up in Obara’s bed with no recollection of the night before.
In October 2002, Obara was charged with drugging, raping and killing Lucie. He was later acquitted on the charges due to lack of direct evidence.
In 2007, Joji Obara was jailed for life for raping nine other women, including Carita Ridgway, who died.
Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Check out our lists of the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix, or see what else is on with our TV Guide.
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