Unsolved true crime podcast bringing attention to cases that need it.

Researched, written and hosted by crime analyst Leah Owens. Co-hosted by Scott Owens.

UNSOLVED HOMICIDE: MIKIKO KASAHARA

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When a foreign exchange student from Japan enrolls at a small private college in Texas, all goes well until she hosts a modest end-of-semester party in her apartment. Investigators retrieve her remains from a deliberately-set fire and discover the scorched evidence of a brutal crime in this episode of Last Seen Alive.

Mikiko excelled academically, earning excellent grades at Texas Lutheran University. She is missed by her loved ones in Japan, including her parents and younger sister. Image source: family photo.
Mikiko was murdered inside of her apartment at Sunset Terrace Apartments in Seguin, Texas. The building (pictured) is still there today. Investigators want to hear from anyone who may have been living or staying at the apartments at the time of her murder, and may remember anything from that night / morning. Image source: Google Maps.
Jose Baldomero Flores III is a convicted murderer who killed two women in the San Antonio metropolitan area, and attempted to destroy evidence of the crimes through arson. One of his victims was a friend of his who attended Texas Lutheran University at the same time as Mikiko. He has not been named a suspect in Mikko’s case. Image source: police photo.
Mikiko Kasahara was 21-years-old when she was murdered inside of her off-campus apartment in Seguin, Texas in 2002. She was an exchange student studying at Texas Lutheran University, and originally from Japan. Her murder remains unsolved. Image source: family photo.

Sources used to research this episode:

Texas Rangers Cold Case Investigation Details: Mikiko Kasahara (Texas Department of Public Safety)

Autopsy Shows Texas Lutheran Student Strangled Before Found in Burned Apartment (Associated Press)

TLU Student Strangled Before Apartment Fire (Bill O’Connell / The Seguin Gazette)

Investigators Work to Identify Body (Bill O’Connell / The Seguin Gazette)

Investigators Question Neighbors (Bill O’Connell / The Seguin Gazette)

Seguin Police Refuse to Let Murder Case Slip from View ( Felicia Frazar / The Seguin Gazette)

Inside Texas Cold Cases: A Young Japanese Student Strangled, Her Body Burned Just Hours After Partying with Friends (Amanda Cochran / Click2Houston.com)

COLD CASE #02-28813: Mikiko Kasahara (Seguin Police Department)

Convicted Killer in Texas Ranger Cold Case Gets Two Life Sentences (Angela Bonilla / KWTX News)


Texas Man Will Serve Three Life Sentences for Two Brutal Cold Case Murders and Arson Intended to Destroy Evidence (Colin Kalmbacher / Law & Crime)

Texas Lutheran University (The Princeton Review)

Study Abroad (Texas Lutheran University)

The Growl, Yearbook of Texas Lutheran University: 2002 Edition

If you know anything about the death of Mikiko Kasahara, please call the Texas Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-252-8477, or submit a tip via their website HERE. You may remain anonymous if you wish, and a $3,000 reward is currently being offered for information that leads to resolution in Mikiko’s case.

If you prefer, you may also contact the Texas Rangers or Seguin Police Department directly, although you won’t be eligible to receive the award unless you go through the Texas Crime Stoppers.

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