Who wanted Eva dead? Puzzle of Bomet woman killed in her house

Police are seeking to unravel what could have caused the gruesome killing of a businesswoman in Bomet town.

The body of Eva Rachel, 40, a mother of three children, was found lying in a pool of blood in her bedroom a day after she was reported missing.

Investigators are said to be following up on leads on whether it was a case of house break-in, rape and murder, or one of love gone sour.

The body of the deceased is said to have been discovered on Tuesday evening by her daughter, who raised a distress call alerting neighbours of the incident.

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A thermos full of tea and a loaf of bread were found on the table in the sitting room of the two-bedroom rental house while household goods appeared undisturbed, an indication of little struggle in the incident.

“A body of a middle-aged woman suspected to have been murdered has been found in her residential house in Bomet town,” Mr Edward Imbwaga, the Bomet County Police Commander confirmed.

Mr Imbwaga said the woman’s throat had been cut with a sharp object, with stab wounds on the chest.

“Police were alerted of the incident at around 6pm on Tuesday. The scene was secured as a crime scene and the body was removed to Longisa County Referral Hospital for preservation before a postmortem is conducted and subsequent release to relatives for burial," said the police boss.

Mr Imbwaga said investigations into the incident had commenced and appealed to members of the public to volunteer information that might help the police to arrest the killers.

Rachel’s last-born son is said to have arrived from school on Monday evening but was unable to access the house which was locked and is said to have gone to a neighbour’s house where he spent the night.

On Tuesday morning, the child went to school and was also unable to access the house in the evening when he returned home, leaving him distressed.

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The pupil again went to the neighbour’s house, oblivious of the fate that had befallen his mother and the fact that his neatly arranged and pressed pair of school uniform, which he was supposed to change into, lay on the sofa set.

But a daughter to the deceased, said to be married in the neighbourhood, who had been calling her mother for the second day without a response, was alarmed by the unusual occurrence. Her mother usually calls back whenever she has a missed call.

As a result of the turn of events, she decided to go and physically check on her mother only to stumble on the body lying in bed with blood splattered on the floor and bed where it lay.

On being confronted with the horrific scene and the lifeless body of her mother, the lady screamed, attracting the attention of the neighbours who rushed to the scene before the police and administrators were called in.

Family members who arrived at the scene on Wednesday declined to speak to the press saying they needed time to come to terms with what had befallen their loved one.

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Eva, as she was popularly known, was last seen on Sunday by friends after attending a service at a local church, but little is known of what could have transpired thereafter.

But she is said to have been alone when she went into a local supermarket in the evening to buy some household items of unknown value.

A friend of the deceased said she had been living in fear in the last few weeks for reasons she did not disclose.

“On a trip to Nairobi last week, she kept taking calls and demanding privacy while at it, which was so unlike her, and appeared troubled after the short and long phone calls. But she did not reveal the details to us,” a female friend of the deceased said on Wednesday.

Before relocating to Bomet a few years ago, the deceased operated a salon in Longisa trading centre, the headquarters of the Bomet East constituency.

Lately, she is said to have been involved in the marketing of biogas systems for a local company, and jointly ran a salon with a friend, besides engaging in other side hustles.

“We are devastated by the loss and how she was murdered and we are hoping the police will get to the root cause of the fatal incident and arrest the culprits so justice can be served,” a business partner, who sought privacy citing the sensitivity of the matter, said.

She said that the deceased did not disclose if she had any threats or challenges facing her before her death.

“Evaline has been a very joyful person and was not known to have been involved in any altercation with anyone,” a neighbor who had known her for three years, but declined to be named, said on Wednesday morning.

Women rights activists – Benina Tanui, Stella Seurey, and Stella Chebet – led residents in asking the police to speed up the investigations, preserve the scene, and ensure the family of the deceased gets justice.

Speaking in Bomet on Wednesday, the activists said there was no reason for anyone to take a woman’s life in the case of a disagreement of whatever nature.

“Forensic investigations, with the evidence left behind, should be able to establish who the assailant was and what could have triggered the attack. We are looking up to the police to unravel the puzzle,” Ms Suerey said.

Ms Tanui said it was unfortunate that the children of the deceased had been rendered orphans with the youngest unable to comprehend what had befallen his mother, with the body lying lifeless in bed for several hours before the discovery was made.

“The increasing attacks against women and murder that have been registered in the region and the country should come to an end. That a helpless woman could be murdered in her bedroom by an assailant who probably won her trust before striking is mind boggling,” Ms Chebet said.

The house remained locked on Wednesday with the police cordon that had been laid on Tuesday night having been removed after the body was taken to the morgue for preservation.