The sinister true story behind Netflix’s Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case

Her case rocked Japanese authorities

1 year ago

Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case is now on Netflix and details the true story behind the disappearance of a British air hostess in Japan. The investigation in Lucie Blackman’s disappearance shocked the world and uncovered one of the most disturbing cases in Japanese history.

As viewers are now able to watch the documentary on Netflix, here is a full breakdown of what happened to Lucie Blackman.

Content warning: Distressing content ahead.

What is Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case about?

The documentary follows an “intricate international investigation to find Lucie – led by a team of tenacious Japanese detectives.” The true crime doc is old through the “inside track” of the investigation as well as through the eyes of Lucie’s father, Tim.

“Their journey against the clock takes them through the seedy heart of Tokyo’s dark underbelly and ultimately to the tragic truth about her brutal murder at the hands of one of the country’s most reprehensible sexual predators,” the synopsis reads.

What happened to Lucie Blackman?

Lucie Blackman was a 21-year-old British woman who went missing while in Tokyo, Japan. She was reported missing in July 1 2000 after it was noted Lucie hadn’t been answering her phone or door.

It was believed Lucie had run away after overstaying her visa, while some began speculating she had been abducted by a cult. Lucie’s father later flew out to Tokyo to get answers for himself. From then, there was high-profile media coverage on Lucie’s disappearance.

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Lucie’s father faced criticism for his approach, as it was deemed as “unusual” in Japan to host press conferences and interviews and offering rewards for information about Lucie. Despite this, Tim continued his efforts and seven months into the search, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, met the Blackman family in Japan.

In 2001, detectives found remains, which was later identified as Lucie’s. Her remains had been buried in a cave near the home of Korean-Japanese businessman, Joji Obara. It was later revealed Obara had drugged, raped and murdered Lucie.

via Netflix

What happened to Joji Obara?

Joji Obara was a Japanese businessman of Korean descent, who was eventually caught and charged for a series of sexual assaults and the murders of Lucie Blackman and an Australian woman, Carita Ridgway.

Obara’s crimes involved drugging, raping and sometimes filming his victims. He would lure women, often from hostess clubs, pretending it was a business interaction. He would then spike their drinks and assault them while they were unconscious.

Obara killed Lucie, dismemebered her body and buried her in a cave near his property. He was later found to be responsible for the 1992 killing of Carita Ridgway, who had been working as a air hostess in Japan at the time.

Obara was arrested in connection with Blackman’s disappearance in 2001, and in 2007 he was found guilty of raping nine women, as well as the manslaughter of Carita Ridgway. He was sentenced to life in prison. However Obara was initially acquitted of Lucie’s murder due to a lack of evidence linking him to her death.

But in 2008, the Tokyo High Court ruled that Obara was guilty of dismembering Lucie and abandoning her body.

Missing: The Lucie Blackman Case is available to watch on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook.