13-year-old girl found dead in Migori thicket

Detectives are investigating the killing of a 13-year-old girl whose body was discovered in a thicket in Suna West Sub-County, Migori County.

Police said the motive of the incident is yet to be established. The girl, a Grade Nine pupil at a local school in Marindi village, was found dead on the morning of March 10 at about 9 am after a report was made about a body lying in a thicket.

Preliminary observations indicated that the girl appeared to be pregnant and had visible bruises on her left leg and back, as well as marks resembling fingerprints on her left loin, suggesting she may have struggled with an attacker, police said.

Police also noted that the victim’s clothes were torn and pulled halfway down her waist, raising suspicion that she may have been assaulted before being killed.

Family members said the girl was last seen on the evening of March 8 at about 8 pm when she had been sent to a nearby shop to buy foodstuffs.

According to the family, the girl returned home with the items and informed her that she was going for a short call, but she did not return.

Her mother discovered the body on Tuesday morning while the family was searching for her. Police processed and documented the scene before moving the body to the Migori County Referral Hospital mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination.

Elsewhere, police in Migori County are also investigating an incident in which the body of a 23-year-old student was discovered at Kuja Bridge along the Rongo–Migori Road.

The body of Edward Ochieng Otieno, a Form Three student at Rongo Day Secondary School, was found on Tuesday morning lying in a pool of blood near River Kuja at the border of Rongo and Awendo sub-counties.

According to police, the discovery was reported at about 11 am on March 10 by a traffic officer on duty who spotted the body at the bridge and alerted officers at Kitere Police Station.

Police said the body had a deep cut wound on the head near the right ear, indicating he may have been attacked with a sharp object. The body was later identified by the victim’s father, Elijah Otieno.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the deceased was last seen alive on Monday evening at about 6 pm at Kabich mining site, where he had reportedly worked from morning until evening.

Police said several items were recovered at the scene, including a mobile phone, a black backpack and a crushed torch.

Inside the bag were paracetamol and anti-malaria drugs that had been partially used, three wet T-shirts, two wet trousers, a wet short, a pair of sandals and a padlock key.

Authorities said the motive of the killing remains unknown, and the murder weapon has not been recovered.

The body was moved to the mortuary, where it is awaiting a post-mortem examination as detectives continue investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the killing.