Doris Kathure, 22, left her home at Matiru village in Tigania West, Meru County, on September 27, 2024 after receiving a call from an acquaintance, never to be seen again.
A month later, on October 30, the family received a dreaded call from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Isiolo town, some 30 kilometres away, that she was dead.
Unfortunately, all this while, her family believed Kathure was safe with her aunt and hoped she would return as was the norm.
Her body was discovered in a thicket at Biliqo in Burat, Isiolo County, on September 28, 2024, just a day after she casually stepped out of her home.
Detectives did not find any identification documents or mobile phone on her and had to identify it using her fingerprints.
"We received a call from the chief who informed us that the body of Kathure had been found in Isiolo. It was shocking,” Ms Mary Mwontuti, the aunt of the late Kathure, said.
Dr Nkirote Rugendo, who conducted a postmortem on the body at Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital, said Kathure was strangled using a handkerchief and hit with a blunt object on the head.
“There were marks on the neck indicating she was also strangled with hands. Objects were also inserted into her private parts. Unfortunately, we have lost two human beings in this murder,” Dr Nkirote said.
When she left home, no report was made of a missing person as the parents were used to her travelling and returning after several weeks.
Ruth Kabirithu, sister of the deceased, said they had just completed their house chores at 6pm when Kathure was called as they relaxed.
“She received the call and after a conversation with the caller, she walked out. She did not inform me where she was going or who she had talked to. When she did not return, the next morning, we tried to reach her but the phone was off,” Kabirithu recounted.
“She was used to travelling and staying away for some time. Whenever she came back, she informed us that she was living with her aunt in Isiolo. So when she left in September, we relaxed knowing that she was at her aunt’s,” Ms Mwontuti said.
However, she said when they learned of her death, the aunt informed them that she had not seen Kathure for more than a year.
“For one month, we did not enquire about her because we did not have the aunt’s contact. It appears she never used to live with her aunt as she had informed us in the past,” she said.
Mystery on child's father
Mr Joshua M’Rengeura, the father of the deceased, said he positively identified her daughter’s body after he received the police report.
“My daughter was pregnant when she left home in September. We did not know the father of her firstborn who lives with us. However, she had a boyfriend from the neighborhood who is known to us. There was no information of anyone who could have anything against her,” the father said.
As the family laid Kathure and her unborn child to rest on Friday last week, they were relying on detectives to unravel the mystery behind her death.
The mysterious caller who made her leave home hastily late in the evening could offer the vital leads to the death.
The questions that linger are: Did the unknown caller lure Kathure to her death trap, and why?
“We urge the police to get to the bottom of the matter and bring the killers of my daughter to book,” M’Rengeura appealed.
Matiru assistant chief Titus Thiaine appealed to families to keep close tabs on their relatives even when they are away from home.
He said missing persons reports aid the police in quickly identifying bodies found without identification documents.
