A teenage grandson is in police custody after evidence linked him to the murder of his grandmother.
According to detectives, evidence retrieved in a pit latrine links the teenager to the death of his 61-year-old grandmother, whose mutilated body was found dumped in the nearby river bank.
"We are holding the teenager and he is currently in custody. We are also piecing together the investigation to know the motive of the murder and his accomplices," Nyahururu Sub-county Police Commander Jacklyne Gasheri stated.
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According to the detective in charge of the investigation, the deceased's phone had been traced in a pit latrine, together with an axe that they suspect was used in the killings.
"There are reports that a mattress soaked in blood and the deceased's clothes were set ablaze to hide the evidence," the detective said.
He added that investigations are aimed at unpacking the death of the deceased and identifying her killers.
Before the arrest, the teenager lived with his grandmother together with his father.
Happy soul
According to friends and family, Lucy Muthoni Njama was a happy soul, who was hardworking and seemingly a good financial manager.
Just before she met her death, Alex Mwangi, a neighbour attests that Muthoni went to sell seedlings in Nyahururu town, as was her norm and she was in high spirits.
She would later go missing that evening of June 12, 2023.
Mwangi described Muthoni as a hardworking woman, who had put in all the work and managed to buy a piece of land.
Another neighbour also revealed that Muthoni had plans to have piped water connected to her home, a statement that clearly shows that Muthoni had some money, raising questions as to whether the killers took her life to get the money she had kept for the planned development.
"She was in the process of connecting water to her home and her killers probably knew she had money, "the neighbour revealed.
Whether the grandson knew about the said money, is yet to be unravelled by the detectives who are still on the investigations.
Villagers mobilized
On realizing that Muthoni was missing, villagers embarked on a search.
Alex narrates that they mobilized everyone, shared her photos on social media and also began a physical search.
The residents searched for Muthoni in Gomokongo, Busara, Riverside, Gikingi and neighbouring areas, but no one had seen or knew Muthoni's whereabouts.
A day went by, two days and even on the fifth day the residents had not found the missing woman who was well-known to many.
Worry and panic compounded but the villagers did not relent. They continued the search on the sixth day.
Lifeless body
On this fateful sixth day of the long search, villagers discovered the lifeless body of Muthoni, on the banks of River Gathara.
At this point, the few who had hoped to find the joyful woman popularly known as 'Mama Njoki' alive, had shuttered dreams.
Her body lay naked, mutilated, cold, lifeless and in a gunny bag.
The death was a huge blow to the residents and family of the deceased. Everlyn Wambui, the deceased's relative narrated that her aunt the late Muthoni, was involved in various social works and was a woman of the people.
Wambui added that the death came as a shock and the family was eager to know what led the killers to take Muthoni's life in such a gruesome manner.
"We were shocked to know that she had been killed and dumped in a river after searching for her. We want to know the motive behind the heinous act," Wambui expressed with sorrow.
"I was at home when I received information that a body had been found dumped in a river. I immediately ran to the scene and I was shocked to find that the body was that of one of us and it had been badly mutilated, Alex narrated.
The family now hopes to get justice for their beloved's grisly murder.
