Nakuru: Decomposing body of university student found in boyfriend’s house

By , K24 Digital
On Mon, 2 Jan, 2023 20:35 | 2 mins read
Nakuru: Body of university student found decomposing in boyfriend's house
Phyllis Jepleting, a Maths/Biology first year student at Karatina University. Her lifeless body was found inside her boyfriend's house in Nakuru. PHOTO/Courtesy

Police in Nakuru are investigating the mystery surrounding the death of a 19-year-old first-year university student whose body was found at her boyfriend's house in Naka estate in Nakuru.

Nakuru County Criminal Investigations boss Anthony Sunguti told a local publication that Phyllis Jeptling's body was found decomposing at Ezra Kipkemboi's house on January 1, 2023.

At the time, the body was found lying on a bed facing downwards with blood oozing from the mouth, nose and ears.

“The decomposing body was discovered in the boyfriend’s house on January 1. Blood was oozing from the mouth, nose and ears. We are pursuing the suspect to aid in the investigations,” Sunguti stated.

The discovery was made after curious neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from Kipkemboi's house.

“There was a foul smell emanating from the house and so we alerted the police. The man was not around and we found it odd that there was a bad smell coming from his house,” one of the neighbours stated.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the deceased may have been killed about five days ago. Police suspect that the deceased may have been murdered by her boyfriend before he escaped.

“The main suspect’s phone number is switched off and neighbours say he was last seen on December 26,” Sunguti added.

An autopsy conducted by Government pathologist Titus Ngulungu revealed she had died of strangulation.

“As a result of my examination, I formed the opinion that the cause of death was asphyxiation, caused by manual neck compression,” Ngulungu stated.

What happened before

A relative told police that the deceased, a student pursuing Maths and Biology at Karatina University, had travelled to Nakuru to visit her boyfriend who is a security guard on December 19.

This was after the deceased's parents sent her Ksh2,600 and asked her not to travel home.

“After they closed for the December holidays, Jepleting's parents sent her Khh2,600 and told her not to travel home. However, she decided to travel to Nakuru to spend the holiday with her boyfriend,” the deceased's relative stated.

“We have established that she travelled with her colleague but alighted in Nakuru City, saying she wanted to visit a relative. That is the last time her friend saw her,” the relative added.

Police recovered bloodstained bedding, clothes and the deceased's identification documents from the scene.

The body of the deceased was taken to a nearby morgue pending further investigations.

Another University student dead

The latest comes barely days after a missing female Kenyatta University (KU) student was found dead at her boyfriend's house in Kahawa Wendani, Kiambu county.

Police and parents said Victoria Muthoni Theuri who was pursuing Public Policy and Administration at the university was last seen on Christmas day.

At the time, she informed her parents that she was visiting her sister, before heading home. However, she failed to return home and her mobile phone was not reachable. Her parents called her sister to check whether she had stopped by.

Police noted that her sister said she had not seen Victoria prompting the parents to report the incident at the police station.

Body found

Victoria's body was discovered after neighbours who experienced a foul smell emerging from her boyfriend's apartment alerted the police.

"The man who lives there was not around and we found it odd that there was a bad smell coming out of the house. It smelt like something rotten inside the locked house," a neighbour told a local publication.

Police who visited the scene found victoria's lifeless body with no visible injuries.