Former police officer Benson Mwangi, the prime suspect in the bizarre murder of his mother, Millicent Wahura.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Nyandarua have recovered a suspected murder weapon and other critical evidence in a case in which a former police officer is suspected of killing his mother.
The exhibits were recovered from River Malewa in Nyandarua Central, where the suspect, Benson Mwangi, led the detectives.
Investigators believe Mwangi dumped the items in the river in an attempt to conceal evidence in the murder of his 60-year-old mother, Millicent Wahura, at her Mwireri Estate home in Ol Kalou.
Millicent Wahura whose dismembered body was discovered in a bush in Rumathe village, Kipipiri Constituency.
“On Wednesday, December 24, the suspect led DCI homicide detectives and forensic experts to River Malewa, where he had dumped the murder weapon and other critical evidence,” said DCI boss Amin Mohamed.
“Guided by the suspect, the team proceeded to River Malewa in Nyandarua Central, where an underwater search led to the recovery of crucial exhibits, among them a machete believed to be the murder weapon, a bedsheet, a blanket and other items the suspect disposed of after killing his mother. Investigations are ongoing as detectives piece together the final moments of the deceased and build a watertight case to ensure justice is served,” Mr Mohamed added.
Ms Wahura was reported missing on November 11. Parts of her badly mutilated body were recovered a day later in a bush at Rumathe Village in Kipipiri Constituency, about 30 kilometres from her home.
The decomposing body was found wrapped in a gunny bag with the head missing. Her upper and lower limbs had also been chopped off.
Initial police investigations identified her son as the prime suspect. He was arrested on November 15 at his girlfriend’s hideout in Kamulu, Kiambu County.
Investigators arraigned the suspect before a Nyandarua court and sought 21 more days to conclude investigations, which were later handed over to the DCI homicide department.
On December 23, the suspect led investigators to an isolated section of River Malewa where a machete believed to be the murder weapon was recovered.
Nyandarua Central Police boss Sammy Kamau said additional exhibits, including a bedsheet and a blanket were also retrieved from the river.
Detectives believe the suspect dumped the items in the river in a bid to conceal evidence.
The suspect, aged 34, is the second-born in a family of five. After the murder, the former police officer is also said to have fled with his eight-year-old son.
Ms Joyce Kariuki, the assistant chief of Kimathi sub-Location where the body was discovered, described the scene as horrific.
“I have never witnessed such an incident. The body was mutilated and dismembered. What affected me most was that it appeared the killer had enough time and courage to slaughter, pack the body and transport it in a sack over long distances before dumping it by the roadside,” she said.
She added that police officers later combed nearby bushes and farms in search of the missing body parts, but none were recovered.
Frequent quarrels
Family members said the suspect vanished on the same day his mother was killed. Relatives revealed that he frequently quarrelled with his mother over inheritance issues.
“He had earlier picked a fight with his mother, demanding that his late father’s pension be channelled through his mobile phone or bank account. He constantly opposed her access to the retirement benefits, yet he never assisted her or any family member when he was a police officer. His father, also a police officer, died in 2021,” said an aunt.
Ms Grace Kanini, the suspect’s divorced wife, said they separated in 2022 due to domestic violence. Their son, a Grade Two pupil, was left under the care of his grandmother.
“He refused to allow me custody of our son, but his mother was a kind woman who assured me she would protect the child and ensure his welfare as we sought a way to reunite me with my son,” Ms Kanini said.
The family is now concerned about the whereabouts of the Grade Two learner, who was last seen with his father on the night his grandmother disappeared.
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