Rosemary Njeri left home for love - and never returned. On February 28, the 22-year-old left her village in Gatundu North to spend some time with her boyfriend.
Two weeks later, on March 18, her disfigured body was discovered in a coffee plantation near the town of Thika.
It bore signs of chemical burns, and her final moments remain shrouded in suspicion.
A love story turned tragic
Now detectives in Thika West and Gatundu North sub-counties are trying to piece together a chilling timeline - between a possible farewell kiss on March 15 and a skinned corpse.
At General Kago mortuary, where she was taken, the body was registered as 'already identified by relatives'.
According to missing persons report number OB NO 14/17/03/2025, her boyfriend Mr John Ndung'u reported her missing at 1430 hours.
"I have been living with the missing person for the past two weeks and we parted on good terms on March 15, 2025 at about 15:20 hours," he told Kanjeria Police Station.
Mr Ndung'u added that he accompanied Njeri to Thika town and after walking together, she announced that she was going to Ruiru town.
"She told me she was going to Ruiru bypass to meet a friend she only identified as Edah," he told police in his statement.
Rosemary Njeri, a 22-year-old from Gatundu North, was found dead in a coffee plantation in Thika on March 18.
Photo credit: Pool | Nation
The disfigured body found
Her decomposing body was later found dumped in a coffee plantation near Thika town, posing a problem for investigators.
According to a preliminary investigation report seen by Nation.Africa , three people have been identified as persons of interest.
"The last person seen with the deceased is her cited boyfriend, Mr Ndung'u. The other person of interest is the woman called Edah and an unidentified woman who allegedly warned her not to be intimate with Mr Ndung'u," the report reads.
Detectives believe that "there is a likelihood that the deceased was very close to the coordinates of her boyfriend's house".
According to the report, Njeri's mobile phone was switched off on the day she reportedly left her boyfriend's house.
"A few minutes after the reported last time she was seen alive, her phone was switched off. Mr Ndung'u said efforts to locate her through relatives and friends had been unsuccessful. It is an investigative problem to attribute authenticity to the claim," the report says.
It adds that "the coincidence that he claims to have left the deceased (Njeri) at about 3.20pm and her phone signal goes off at about 4pm will be tested".
Detectives also want to construct her possible movements immediately after she was last seen with her boyfriend, either at his house or on the street.
"She was last seen alive on March 15, her phone was switched off on the same day and she was found murdered on the road to her home village, which means she most likely travelled to Ruiru but was well within the coordinates where she was last seen alive," the report added.
According to Lizzie Wairimu, who described herself as a close friend of the deceased for the past three years, Njeri had reported a week before her disappearance that a woman called Mary, who lives in Thika Town, had threatened her with dire consequences if she continued to date Mr Ndung'u.
Ms Wairimu told Nation.Africa that Njeri, being the peaceful and introverted soul that she was, refused to engage her boyfriend because of the threats.
"I met her in Thika town on March 12, 2025 and we agreed that she should remain vigilant in her relationship to detect any hint that she might be sharing her love with another woman," she says.
Rosemary Njeri, a 22-year-old from Gatundu North, was found dead in a coffee plantation in Thika on March 18.
Photo credit: Pool | Nation
"Look at it this way... An adult woman who can spend two weeks with her boyfriend shows that she was independent and free. She announced that she was going to meet a friend on the evening of March 15, and in less than 48 hours a missing person's report was filed," she said.
Ms Wairimu adds: "It would make sense if she was missing for more than a week...this resolute confidence that she is missing within 48 hours and her photo being circulated everywhere is suspicious".
In his report to the police, Mr Ndung'u said: "I am convinced that she is missing because it is not like her to go for more than 10 hours without calling me".
He added: "It is not like my girlfriend to go for more than five hours without updating her WhatsApp status.
He added: "The way she loves her phone, it's suspicious that it's been off since we parted ways."
Describing her as "cool, vibrant and generally peaceful", Mr Ndung'u took to social media accounts to appeal for help in locating her, giving his phone number as a contact point should her whereabouts be ascertained.
Investigators are pinning their hopes on a post-mortem report, which they hope will shed light on the details of her death.
"The post-mortem will help determine how long she had been dead when her body was found, the extent of her injuries and the most likely cause of death," it adds.
As the investigation continues, the search is on for Edah and Mary - the woman named as the friend she left her base to see, and the woman who allegedly threatened her.
