Police yellow crime tape.
Police in Kirinyaga County are investigating the death of a young woman whose body was found dumped in a septic tank in Ngurubani town.
The unidentified woman's body was discovered on Saturday, March 15, by a worker who was cleaning a public toilet near a hotel in the town.
Preliminary police investigations suggest that the woman was strangled and her body thrown into the tank to cover up the evidence.
Following the murder, the main suspect, who is the son of a local businessman, went into hiding and is being sought for questioning, with police summoning the father, who has recorded a statement and is assisting police with the investigation.
The tycoon is said to have been summoned by detectives to the Wang'uru Police Station immediately the woman's body was recovered, interrogated for several hours and released.
"Three of the tycoon's workers and his wife also gave statements to the police and were released. We believe that the suspect fatally attacked the woman in his house at night, dragged her body out and threw it into the tank and fled," said a detective in the investigation team.
Investigations also revealed that the suspect, a university dropout who had been hanging around the town, may have fought with the woman in his room before allegedly strangling her.
According to the police, the room was messy, with miraa branches strewn about, but there was no trace of blood.
"According to those who saw the man before he disappeared, he had a wound on his lips, indicating that the woman had bitten him when she tried to defend herself," the detective said.
Mwea-East sub-county police boss Mohammed Jarso confirmed that the tycoon's son was being hunted to shed light on the murder.
"This matter is being treated as a murder, and we suspect the tycoon's son is responsible for the woman's death. He needs to be arrested and interrogated to establish the truth of the matter," Mr Jarso said.
The police boss said the woman was most likely murdered on Thursday, March 13, as her body had started to decompose.
"At the moment, the woman is unknown and we don't know her place of residence, so we also want to establish her identity and where she comes from," he said.
He appealed to parents who may have lost their daughter to visit the Kerugoya Referral Hospital mortuary to identify the body, which is awaiting post-mortem examination.
The police boss reiterated that murder is a serious crime and detectives will not rest until the truth is established beyond a reasonable doubt.
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