Ep. 37: Untersuchung des Mordfalls am Schneedämonen, Aktenzeichen 1

37

Miyuki convinces Hajime to join her on a trip to a village in Hokkaido to help with the filming of a TV show. They stay at the villa of the reclusive artist Isen Himuro and then drive in a mini-van to the annex across the river to set up a video camera system. The annex is now a 20 minute drive away after the bridge collapsed. When they return, Hajime is surprised to find Kenmochi and Akechi in the village after their vehicle broke down. While watching the remote camera images in the annex, a Snow Demon appears and kills actress Rie Kano with an axe. The figure then turns and destroys the surveillance camera. Some villagers tell the story of the Snow Demon, how the poor area was known for human trafficking. Apparently during a snow storm, a woman in bondage escaped with her baby, but no-one would shelter her, fearing revenge from the traffickers, not even her former family. The baby died and the woman disappeared after leaving a curse on the village, creating the Snow demon. Suddenly, the assistant Marina Ayatsuji discovers the body of the main suspect, cameraman Michio Akashi stuffed inside a snowman, clutching some straw. Akeshi determines that he was killed before Kano, and thus could not be the killer. (Source: Wikipedia)