MUS-2026-0335
Archive card
MUS-2026-0335
Homicide
- Incident
- 1998
- Indexed
- Oct 18, 2026, by MuseUnsolved
- Agency
- New Zealand Police
- Location
- Auckland, New Zealand
Public record. Index entry.
Index entry. Case details compiled from public reporting; our researchers have not verified this file yet.
Summary
What happened, as the record shows.
Japanese tourist Kayo Matsuzawa, 29, arrived in Auckland on September 11, 1998 and was last seen on CCTV hours later; her naked, decomposing body was found 11 days later in a locked service room off a stairwell in the Centrecourt Building. Unknown male DNA under her fingernails has never been identified, and her clothes and jewellery were never found. No arrest has ever been made.
Timeline
What the record establishes.
- Sep 11, 1998
Matsuzawa arrives in Auckland on flight AN626; 2:14 p.m. CCTV shows her leaving an airport bus on Queen Street and checking into Queen Street Backpackers; 3:32 p.m. BNZ CCTV captures her walking past, the last sighting.
- Sep 14, 1998
She is due to check out of the hostel and never does.
- Sep 16, 1998
Her day bag, passport, and insurance papers are found in a public rubbish bin.
- Sep 22, 1998
Her naked, decomposing body is found in a small room off the stairwell in the Centrecourt Building, Queen Street.
- 2007
A $75,000 reward is posted for information leading to arrest.
- 2018
Police reveal unknown male DNA under her fingernails and say they have a new suspect to investigate; a 2026 roundup reports the investigation has stalled, the DNA still unidentified, and her clothes and jewellery never found.
Key people
The people in the file.
29, Japanese tourist. Arrived in Auckland September 11, 1998; her body was found in the Centrecourt Building on September 22, 1998.
Contact details change over time; confirm the current assignee before publishing.
Investigating agency
Where tips go.
This case is with the New Zealand Police. If you know something, say something to them. For public-record leads for our researchers, use the tip line on any open file.
Coverage
Coverage and further reading.
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