A former women’s wrestling referee was killed in a terrible bear attack.
On Friday, October 17, rescue personnel discovered the mangled remains of Katsumi Sasazaki, 60, in a wooded region in Kitakami, a city in northeastern Japan, according to Japanese national news site Asahî Shimbum.
Sasazaki, a recently retired referee for the Japanese women’s wrestling league Dream Star Fighting Marigold, was working at a local hot spring inn when the attack happened, according to the publication.
According to Asahî Shimbum, Sasazaki’s boss noticed he was gone on Thursday morning, October 16, and contacted the local Kitakami Police at 11:15 a.m. local time. Police discovered blood and what seemed to be bear fur in the outdoor area where Sasazaki had been cleaning, according to both Asahî Shimbum and NHK World Japan.
Police, along with a local hunting group and city officials, launched a search for the man, but had to call it off after only half an hour owing to severe weather. According to Asahî Shimbum, they discovered Sasazaki’s body the next morning at 9 a.m. on the bank of a local river about 164 feet from the inn.
Authorities shot and killed an adult male Asiatic black bear near the body, according to the site.
PEOPLE contacted Japan’s National Police Agency for comment on Saturday, Oct. 18, but did not receive an immediate response.
Rossy Ogawa, the owner of the Dream Star Fighting Marigold wrestling league, paid respect to Sasazaki in a post on X, mentioning that he was a father to “two young daughters.”
“Tragic news has come in that the body of Katsumi Sasazaki, who was attacked by a bear and went missing at a hot spring facility in Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, has been found,” Ogawa wrote at the start of his piece.
“Sasazaki’s final referee appearance occurred in the Marigold ring. “He was a junior at All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling, reserved but dedicated to his work, and he leaves behind two young daughters,” he said. “Such an end is unthinkable, and all I can say is that it’s deeply regrettable and heartbreaking.”
“I pray for his soul to rest in peace,” Ogawa concluded his statement.
