ASAHIKAWA CITY — Police in Asahikawa City arrested zoo employee Tatsuya Suzuki on Thursday evening on suspicion that he transported his wife's body to a tourist facility in northern Hokkaido and destroyed it through incineration. Police said they may charge Suzuki with murder after the investigation is complete.

The victim was identified as 33-year-old Yui Suzuki, the wife of Tatsuya Suzuki. Police have not publicly disclosed how she died, but officers discovered partial human remains in the incinerator at Asahiyama Zoo, where Suzuki worked. Suzuki said he used the zoo's incinerator to burn his wife's body for a few hours, and he made statements suggesting that he killed her, according to a local police official.

Suzuki's relatives reported to police that they had lost contact with Yui Suzuki in late March. The couple lived by themselves. Yui Suzuki had told her relatives that her husband threatened to burn her until no trace would be left, according to public broadcaster NHK.

Asahiyama Zoo, one of the most popular zoos in Japan because of its unique structures and exhibits, had been closed since early last month for regular maintenance ahead of the summer season. The zoo delayed its reopening, originally scheduled for Wednesday, because of the case. On Friday, the zoo resumed operations, and officials bowed to visitors and apologized for the trouble caused.

"The zoo is in an extremely difficult situation at the moment," Asahikawa City Mayor Hirosuke Imazu said, according to NHK. He said he would like to turn visitor support into the zoo staff's energy and convey the lives of the animals.