#Hiromi Kazuni

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Hiromi Kazuni disappeared, and was likely killed, like many other Moonies who died while fundraising.

Hiromi Kazuni was born in Japan on December 17, 1960. She joined the Unification Church in 1981. She moved to Miami in 1984. Her parents still lived in Japan at the time of her disappearance in Lee County, Florida, on July 11, 1986. She was 25.

Kazuni may use the first name Rachael/Rachel. She was wearing a bright pink shirt, gray and white striped pants and a watch and was carrying a black shoulder purse and a large black shoulder bag.

Black hair, black eyes. Height: 5’3 - 5'4, Weight: 110 - 140 pounds (other accounts give different statistics.)

She was a faithful member of the Unification Church. A small group of members had been fundraising in the area for about a week, knocking on the doors of various businesses and residences, soliciting donations and giving out Garfield hand puppets in exchange. Hiromi was carrying the puppets in her large black shoulder bag.

Hiromi eventually ending up walking along a predetermined route along the intersection of San Carlos Boulevard and Summerwinds Court.

She was last seen in the parking lot of Dino’s Restaurant on Fort Myers Beach in Lee County, Florida [Zip code 33908] at 6:00 p.m. on July 11. The restaurant was closed for the summer at the time.

Residents and store employees past Dino’s Restaurant along Hiromi’s route don’t recall having seen her, suggesting she never made it past the restaurant. She has never been heard from again.

She was alone at the time of her disappearance. Her case remains unsolved and foul play is suspected.

https://charleyproject.org/case/hiromi-kazuni

Apparently there is a DNA sample from her identical twin sister.

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https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/search?q=flair_name:"Unresolved Disappearance"&restrict_sr=1

The case was baffling. In an article dated July 16, 1986, Lee County Sheriff's Sergeant Rod Shoap commented that the police were “seeking any leads whatsoever.” He added that there was “no sign of foul play. She just disappeared.”

…

Another odd thing about this case is just how many discrepancies there seem to be depending on which source you look at – besides the disagreements on the date Hiromi went missing (Doe Network and Charley Project give the 25th and 26th of the month), there are also major discrepancies in her height (according to Charley Project and NamUs, she was 5'3-5'4; according to the Doe Network, she was 5'8) and weight (Doe Network says she was 140 lbs, NamUs says she was 110-115 lbs, and Charley Project says she could have been anywhere from 110-140 lbs. For what it's worth, all the contemporary news reports list her at 5'8 and 140 lbs.)

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http://www.missingin.org/reg2830/hiromi_kazuni.htm#relatednews

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All these UC members were killed while fundraising for Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

Sister raped and murdered in 1972. And a European sister was raped during the 1973 Carnegie Hall campaign.

Christiane Coste was raped, stabbed repeatedly, mostly to the face and neck, and strangled in New York on February 24, 1978 while delivering The News World to her area in Harlem.

Hitoshi Hara was murdered on July 20, 1987 while selling roses for Sun Myung Moon’s church

Mayumi Komatsu was raped and brutally murdered while fundraising for the UC in California in 1985

Jin-joo Byrne was raped and murdered in August 2002. 
She was just 18. She was fundraising on her own with costume jewellery in Charlotte, NC. Some time later it was arranged for Hak Ja Han, on a visit to Seattle, to meet the family. She was not very sympathetic. A Korean person understood what Hak Ja Han said.

Reinhard Jager was killed while selling roses; hit by a drunk truck driver

Eric Mahnken was killed while on a fundraising trip in 1984

Atsushi Funaki murdered while selling roses in E. Philadelphia

Ken Sudo describes the rape of several sisters

[whatisonthemoonarchive]

In 1986, a young woman disappeared while fundraising for the Unification Church. What could have happened to Hiromi Kazuni?

It was either the 10th or 11th of July 1986 in Fort Myers Beach in Florida's Lee County. (NamUs gives the date as the 10th, while contemporary newspapers give the date as the 11th; Doe Network and Charley Project give the 25th and 26th of the month, but there is an article on the case dated July 16, 1986, ruling these dates out.) A small group of members of the Unification Church were knocking on the doors of various businesses and residences, soliciting donations and giving out Garfield hand puppets in exchange. One of these members was 25-year-old Hiromi Kazuni. Born in Japan and still a national of that country, Hiromi (who also used the English name Rachael, or Rachel depending on which source you go by) had only taken up residence in the USA two years prior, having moved to Miami in 1984. However, she had been a devoted member of the Unification Church for a longer time; she had joined as far back as 1981. The group had been, for the past week or so, knocking on the doors of various businesses in the area seeking donations. How exactly is unclear based on the sources, but apparently the group became separated, with Hiromi eventually ending up walking along a predetermined route along the intersection of San Carlos Boulevard and Summerwinds Court. She was last seen around 6PM in the parking lot of Dino's Restaurant, which was closed for the summer. Then, she vanished. Shopkeepers and residents on the road beyond Dino's Restaurant say they never saw her; Hiromi was reported missing.

The case was baffling. In an article dated July 16, 1986, Lee County Sheriff's Sergeant Rod Shoap commented that the police were "seeking any leads whatsoever." He added that there was "no sign of foul play. She just disappeared." It was even considered possible, in the immediate aftermath of her disappearance, that Hiromi may have returned to her family in Japan, though this eventually proved to not be the case. Simon Tufnell, the treasurer of the Church's fundraising department, said she "could have just run away from the church". He added that it was "unusual for people to run away from the church, but it has happened."

The Unification Church, for those who aren't familiar, is a relatively recent offshoot of Christianity founded in 1954 in South Korea by Sun Myung Moon. It is also referred to as the Unification Movement. The group's teachings are significantly different than other sects of Christianity. Their views include viewing their leader Moon as a Messiah who had been visited by Jesus, as well as such an emphasis on the importance of marriage to the point of holding mass wedding ceremonies. The Church has been criticized by other Christian groups as well as secular sources who consider the group a cult.

Interestingly, an October 2014 publication by the Vision 2020 Japan Unification Movement Newsletter (which is, as you probably could guess, a newsletter sent out by the Unification Church of Japan) mentions Hiromi, saying that "Sister Hiromi Kazuni became a martyr in the US." I have linked this newsletter below.

Despite the odd details of this case, it is rather obscure. It did not receive much media attention even at the time, and these days the case isn't known even among online sleuthing communities. Hiromi's family resides (or at least at the time resided) in Japan, so I would not be surprised if they were unable to do much; however, it is odd that nobody in her church, in which she was by all accounts very involved, thought it was worth pursuing.

Another odd thing about this case is just how many discrepancies there seem to be depending on which source you look at- besides the disagreements on the date Hiromi went missing, there's also major discrepancies in her height (according to Charley Project and NamUs, she was 5'3-5'4; according to the Doe Network, she was 5'8) and weight (Doe Network says she was 140 lbs, NamUs says she was 110-115 lbs, and Charley Project says she could have been anywhere from 110-140 lbs. For what it's worth, all the contemporary news reports list her at 5'8 and 140 lbs.)

These things aside, what could have happened to Hiromi? Could the Unification Church be involved in her disappearance, or is her involvement just a red herring? Or maybe she really did run away from the church- but in that case, would she really have remained hidden all these years? And though her family lived abroad, why didn't her case receive more coverage, when she was a well-integrated member of the Church and had many people who knew her in the USA?

I have tried to compile all the information on the case that is available. If anyone finds any information I have missed, please share!

Charley Project

NamUs

Doe Network

Newspapers.com

Encyclopædia Britannica Article on Unification Church

Vision 2020 Japan Unification Movement Newsletter

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Reinhard Jager killed while selling roses. He was hit by a drunk truck driver.

It happened on November 27, 1985 at Coors Road and Paradise Boulevard, Albuquerque, New Mexico. His tragic death left his wife, Kaarina, alone with two sons aged one and two. She was from Finland and he was from Austria – they had been together for just four years. After his death money was a problem, first she fundraised and later got a job as a substitute teacher.

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Hiromi Kazuni disappeared, and was likely killed, while fundraising.

A mother dropped her children off at Jacob House, N.Y., and went to fundraise – as directed by Sun Myung Moon. Michiko Koide was killed, and Eric Mahnken

Atsushi Funaki murdered while selling roses in East Philadelphia

Hitoshi Hara was murdered on July 20, 1987 while selling roses for Sun Myung Moon’s church

Montreal girl (probably Ruthie) died fundraising for the Unification Church in 1977. She was hit by a car.

Jin-joo Byrne was raped and murdered in August 2002. She was just 18. She was fundraising on her own with costume jewellery in Charlotte NC. Some time later it was arranged for Hak Ja Han, on a visit to Seattle, to meet the family. She was not very sympathetic. A Korean person understood what Hak Ja Han said.

The Purity Knife – Jen Kiaba

All these UC members were killed while fundraising for Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Sister raped and murdered in 1972. And a European sister was raped during the 1973 Carnegie Hall campaign.

Dr Joseph Sheftick: Then I heard that the sister whom we had witnessed to on the bus team had been raped and murdered [in 1972]. Father said she was an offering and would go to a good place in the spiritual world.

‘40 years in America’ book, page 44

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Hisako Watanabe: When I came to the United States, Father spoke to Mr. Kamiyama and he organized a team to go out and sell tickets for the Carnegie Hall speech—the tickets were about $2. We were a group of international brothers and sisters. A European sister was raped then [September 1973]. Sometimes it was dangerous. Sometimes people said, “Come to my apartment.” I knew it was dangerous to go with them, so I didn’t.

We had a holy ground in Central Park. Mr. Kamiyama gathered us there, and we reported every day. We sang and gave testimonies. We sold a lot of tickets and we had a lot of hope. But very few people came. Like the Bible, the guests were invited to the wedding but they didn’t come. Mr. Kamiyama said to us, “Go outside and get people to come in. Get anyone and tell them it’s free. Don’t sell any more tickets.” Anyone who was walking by we brought in. So then all the members came inside and took seats. We were so sorry to Father that we couldn’t bring people. This was our first opportunity to bring people, but it didn’t work. We had a good feeling, but the reality was so miserable. One old lady stood up and spoke up negatively. It was so intense.

‘40 years in America’ book, page 96

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Dan Fefferman reviews the book:

40 Years in America—an Honest Appraisal of the Life of the Unification Movement (PDF)

The recently released 40 Years in America: An Intimate History of the Unification Movement is an important book for several reasons. First, although size doesn’t count in all things, this is a big, gorgeous book, comprising 602 pages and including an impressive array of photographs from the early days of the US movement to the present day. Second, it is indeed an “intimate history” that presents not only the grand actions of its messianic leader but also the trials, tribulations, victories, and reflections of its rank and file members. Third, and for me most important, it is also a self-reflective book with a refreshingly honest approach to the challenges that US Unification movement has faced so far and will face in the future. Credit for this impressive project goes to editor Mike Inglis for conceiving and coordinating it, to church historian Mike Mickler for the painstakingly researched and thought-provoking history that meanders through its oversized pages, and to designer Jonathan Gullery for making what could be a dry historical treatise an absolute delight to the eyes and heart.

... But one also reads of stagnation in membership growth, an American movement of an increasingly oriental character, division and disillusionment over the Zimbabwean Heung Jin episode, the bombshell effect of Nansook Hong’s book, and a movement facing demoralization even as its leaders proclaim victory after victory. Mickler’s analysis is too far reaching to deal with in depth here. Let me touch briefly on two aspects that I felt were particularly interesting. The first has to do with what went wrong with the movement in the 1970s. The second deals with where we stand as we look toward the future. As most long-time members recognize, the American Unification movement experienced substantial and rapid growth in the early 1970s, virtually doubling in membership every year from 1970-1974. Mickler offers an intriguing thought as to the nature of the brick wall we hit after that. He sees the experimental Barrytown training project in 1975 as symptomatic of a departure from the American tradition that had previously brought such success. He cites four factors: 1) the sharpening of in-out distinctions between the movement and world 2) an extreme emphasis on fallen nature and obedience to central figures 3) a counterproductive shift away from center life and toward individual pioneering by young members and 4) the creation of an unattractive sense of desperation that failed to bring about the hoped for Pentecost. But Barrytown was only one symptom of a larger problem. “To a large extent,” says Mickler, “Barrytown was a Japanese import... The Japanese outlook and modes of operation became even more pervasive in the church’s mobile fundraising teams.” The result was a new church culture. College-aged Americans took on a soldier-like demeanor that had little appeal to their peers. They wore ties while witnessing, spoke urgently of the dangers of Communism, testified less frequently to the joys of their international community, stopped singing popular songs in favor or oriental Holy Songs, and sometimes even spoke in stilted English with a Japanese accent. The American movement may only now be fully recovering from that cultural shift. Even as we create new federations, hold successful meetings, develop high level contacts, build media empires, and establish internal institutions for spiritual renewal, the fact remains that American Unificationism seems incapable of recreating the magic that enables new members to join. As he looks to the future, Mickler sees a movement potentially divided among four alternative approaches to its apparent failures: 1) those who critique the orientalization of American Unificationism and call for a stronger sense of continuity with American culture 2) those who see the problem in terms of lack of faith and seek spiritual renewal through programs such as Cheongpyeong 3) those who call for a renewal of a communitarian approach in which center life and other community expressions of the Divine Principle ideal are emphasized and 4) those who see the solution in terms of a realization of “elder-sonship,” agreeing that we need greater continuity with American culture but presenting this as a natural evolution rather than a criticism of the past. Of course, these categories are not hard and fast, nor are they mutually exclusive. And this only part of the story, about 20 pages out of a 600 page book. Mickler concludes on a hopeful note, looking to the future and the emergence of Hyun Jin Moon as the heir apparent to True Father who can realize the principle of elder-sonship. Mike Mickler is to be commended not only for a stimulating essay, but also for memorializing a tremendous amount of detailed history in what I found to be a highly readable narrative. Yet even if one never gets around to a thorough reading Mickler’s history, 40 Years in America is guaranteed to give readers many hours of enjoyment, reveling in past victories, mourning fallen soldiers who have come and gone, and pondering what the future will hold for our children and grandchildren. ...

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Nansook Hong, transcripts of three interviews, including ‘60 Minutes’

Nansook Hong In The Shadow Of The Moons

Black Heung Jin Nim – Violence in the Moon church

Christiane Coste was raped, stabbed repeatedly, mostly to the face and neck, and strangled in New York on February 24, 1978 while delivering The News World to her area in Harlem.

Jin-joo Byrne was raped and murdered in August 2002. 
She was just 18. She was fundraising on her own with costume jewellery in Charlotte, NC. Some time later it was arranged for Hak Ja Han, on a visit to Seattle, to meet the family. She was not very sympathetic. A Korean person understood what Hak Ja Han said.


The Purity Knife – Jen Kiaba

Hiromi Kazuni disappeared, and was likely killed, while fundraising.

Montreal girl (probably Ruthie) killed while fundraising for the Unification Church in 1977. She was hit by a car.

http://www.tparents.org/library/unification/books/40years/

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Hitoshi Hara was murdered on July 20, 1987 while selling roses for Sun Myung Moon’s church

Hitoshi Hara had been a member of the Unification Church for less than a year when he came to the United States from Japan in 1984. He worked for over three years with the UC food distribution program in Denver, Colorado.

In the summer of 1987 he joined a team in New York fundraising to support the American ministers’ ICC.

On July 20 Hitoshi began a seven-day fast and decided to go out fundraising, even though his team had scheduled free time for the day.

Later that afternoon he was found near the stoplight where he had been selling roses from a bucket. He had a gaping gunshot wound in his abdomen. He was taken to a hospital, where he died early the next morning. He was 23.

Apparently someone had tried to steal his roses and his money and shot him. The killer was not found.

A funeral was held in New York City, led by Dr. Mose Durst, president of the Unification Church of America, and Rev. Ken Sudo, director of the New York church. Over 200 mourners attended.

Hitoshi’s parents came from Japan to attend the ceremony and also visited the food distribution facilities in Denver where their son had worked.

Hitoshi was known as a very pure, dedicated, and hard-working brother.

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A mother dropped her children off at Jacob House, N.Y., and went to fundraise – as directed by Moon. Michiko Koide was killed…

Atsushi Funaki murdered while selling roses in E. Philadelphia

Christiane Coste was raped, stabbed repeatedly, mostly to the face and neck, and strangled in New York on February 24, 1978 while delivering The News World to her area in Harlem.

Mayumi Komatsu was raped and brutally murdered while fundraising for the UC in California in 1985

Jin-joo Byrne was raped and murdered in August 2002. 
She was just 18. She was fundraising on her own with costume jewellery in Charlotte, NC. Some time later it was arranged for Hak Ja Han, on a visit to Seattle, to meet the family. She was not very sympathetic. A Korean person understood what Hak Ja Han said.

Hiromi Kazuni disappeared, and was likely killed, while fundraising.

All these UC members were killed while fundraising for Sun Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Montreal girl killed while fundraising for the Unification Church

By Josh Freed    The Montreal Star   January 7, 1978

Her name was probably Ruthie. Her parents were harassed by the Unification Church

Three weeks ago [in December 1977], a Montreal couple was awakened by a 3 a.m. call from Oklahoma from a Unification Church member telling them their 21-year-old daughter was dead. She had been a Moonie since a vacation in California last summer.

According to police reports, she had been selling candy for the church in the streets of a small Oklahoma town when, about 10:30 p.m., she crossed a busy intersection and was struck by a hit-and-run driver. She died instantly.

In the days that followed the phone call, the family was inundated with polite calls from church officials. Two Moonie representatives flew in from different cities in the U.S. to ask the family if they could attend the funeral. Flowers were sent in abundance.

The family at first agreed to allow the Moonies to attend the service. Then the next day their daughter’s body arrived accompanied by a white wedding dress, a picture of Rev. Moon, a copy of the Divine Principle and instructions to the Montreal funeral parlor to bury the girl with the articles.

An uncle found out about the proceedings and stopped them, and the Moonies were told they would not be welcome at the funeral or visiting afterwards. Nonetheless, two Moonies arrived at the family’s home several hours later and lingered by the door until a friend of the family went out and threatened to call the police.

They were not seen again, but the organization has since sent the family letters requesting the return of the Divine Principle and the picture of Rev. Moon. According to the letter, they are to be used to set up a “memorial” to the girl.

Oklahoma police are still investigating the accident.

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“They put a gun to my head and asked if I’d rather be shot or raped.”

Atsushi Funaki murdered while selling roses in E. Philadelphia

Man charged with strangling Seattle teen on church trip

The Purity Knife – Jen Kiaba

Mayumi Komatsu was raped and brutally murdered while fundraising for the UC in California in 1985

Reinhard Jager killed while selling roses; hit by a drunk truck driver

Hiromi Kazuni disappeared and was likely killed, like many other Moonies who died while fundraising.

Hitoshi Hara was murdered on July 20, 1987 while selling roses for Sun Myung Moon’s church

All these Unification Church members were killed while fundraising for Sun Myung Moon

A mother dropped her children off at Jacob House, N.Y., and went to fundraise – as directed by Sun Myung Moon. Michiko Koide was killed, and also Eric Mahnken

[whatisonthemoonarchive]

Hiromi Kazuni was likely killed, like many other Moonies who died while fundraising. They were forced to go fundraising in dangerous areas, often alone. What did they expect?