British language teacher missing in Tokyo found dead in bathtub filled with sand

Police found a woman's body in an apartment outside Tokyo and suspect she was a missing British language teacher, a police official said Tuesday.

Officials of Nova, the language school chain where the woman worked, reported her missing Monday, according to local police official Takeo Terashima, the AP said.

Police found the body Monday evening in a bathtub filled with sand set on the balcony of the apartment in Ichikawa, just east of Tokyo, he said.

A 28-year-old man who lived in the apartment ran away when police came to inquire about the woman, 22, according to the official, adding that the man was an acquaintance of hers. The man has not been found.

A handbag and identification believed to have belonged to the Briton were found in the apartment, Kyodo News agency reported.

The police were investigating the cause of death and have not released the name of the victim, Terashima said.