Wife detained after autopsy shows Busia man in suspected suicide was murdered

KaujKito location chief George Okemeri addressing the press at Kamarinyang village /IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO

A suspected suicide reported in Busia has taken a dramatic twist after a post-mortem report showed the victim was murdered.

Authorities now say Christopher Okumu was killed before his body was staged to appear like he hanged himself.

Okumu’s body was found dangling from a tree near his home in Kamarinyang village in Teso Central on April 20.

However, an autopsy conducted at Alupe University Mortuary revealed multiple injuries inconsistent with suicide.

The report indicated broken hands and legs, four fractured ribs on both sides, as well as deep injuries to the neck and face.

Family lawyer Obella Opuru said the deceased suffered severe trauma before his death.

“Before camouflaging his death, the killers washed the body and dragged it from the house to a nearby tree,” he said.

The deceased’s brother, Chrispinus Omusugu, was present during the post-mortem.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations believe more than one person may have been involved, citing signs of physical restraint and pressure on the chest which suggest he may have died before the body was hanged.

Two suspects — the deceased’s wife and her brother — are in custody as investigations continue after a court allowed police to detain them.

Kaujkito chief George Okemeri said the deceased and his wife reportedly quarrelled on the night of the incident, after which she is said to have spent the night in a nearby sugarcane plantation.

Police recovered items from the plantation, including blankets, a bed sheet, undergarments, a hammer and an axe, all allegedly stained with blood and believed to belong to the deceased.

Okumu is expected to be buried on Thursday at his Kamarinyang home. His family is however demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances of his death.