NYERI, Kenya, May 17 — A grief-stricken village in Nyeri forced to bury the headless corpse of an 85-year-old woman found murdered at her home has expressed disappointment with a police probe on the matter.
Emotions run high during Juliah Gathoni’s burial in Mukurweini’s Miiri village as villagers faulted the police for failing to make arrests six days after the murder.
Mourners broke into uncontrollable chants as Gathoni’s the body was lowered to the grave shortly before 3pm. The Kikuyu consider it a taboo to bury deceased persons with missing body parts.
Speaking during a mass at Gathukimundu Catholic Church Weru Mwangi, a relative, said that they had no alternative but to bury the deceased due to escalating mortuary charges.
“As a family we are not content with police investigations how comes after 67 days no arrest or finding has been made we are unhappy about this, but do we have a choice but to bury our kin,” said Mwangi.
No arrets
He said that they had patiently waited for her head to be found and had preserved her body all the time but efforts to find her head bore no fruits.
“As a family we forced to make a decision to bury her each day our bill at the morgue was increasing furthermore we have been holding prayers meeting each day and the same was costly we could bear no more,” said Mwangi.
Gathoni, who was suffering from dementia, was found dead on her bed on the morning of May 11.
Relatives who went to check on her concerned that she had taken an unusually long period to wake up learnt that her head had been severed.
Detectives from Mukurweini Police Station were informed but subsequent search efforts yielded no fruits.
Villagers who were alarmed by heinous act conducted a search in all nearby bushes but were unable to unravel the mystery.
