Joseph Weru is suspected of killing Mary Murutuni and Beatrice Nyawira, and of dumping their bodies along Rivers Karogoto and Sagana in Nyeri County.
The text messages were sent to their relatives days apart but followed an eerily similar script.
At first, they raised little suspicion since they contained requests for money and pleas for help.
What the relatives did not know was that by the time the messages were sent, 28-year-old Mary Murutuni and 23-year-old Beatrice Nyawira were already dead.
The most shocking detail was that the man suspected of killing them is believed to have sent the requests himself as he quietly returned to their homes, living there while pretending the women were still alive.
The suspect is expected to appear in a Nyeri court on March 19, 2026, to answer murder charges, even as detectives investigate claims that he could be linked to the deaths of two other women.
Joseph Weru is suspected of killing Mary Murutuni and of dumping her body.
Mary, a mother of three, lived alone in a rented house in Naromoru town, Nyeri County, where she worked at a boutique.
On January 17, 2026, she disappeared.
Family members who went searching for her were told by neighbours that she had left with a man known to them as Joseph Weru, whom she had introduced as her cousin serving in the military.
Neighbours say Joseph was a frequent visitor to Mary’s house in the days before her disappearance and recalled seeing her wash a military uniform.
Detectives say the two travelled about 40 kilometres from Naromoru town before walking deep into a forested area near the border of Mukurweini and Mathira sub-counties.
Two days later, Mary’s body was discovered by locals, partially submerged in Karogoto River.
She was half-naked and had injuries on her back indicating she had been dragged on the ground. The body was booked as that of an unknown person at Karatina Hospital mortuary.
A post-mortem conducted on March 5 revealed that she died from blunt force trauma.
After killing her, detectives say Joseph took Mary’s phone but threw her handbag into the river.
That same night, on January 17, he returned to Mary’s house in Naromoru and sent messages to her landlord claiming that she had asked him to move her belongings. By January 19, he had cleared the house.
Two days later, on January 21, he began sending text messages to Mary’s mother in Chumvi, Laikipia County, pretending to be her daughter.
In one of the texts seen by Nation, “Mary” asked for Sh7,000, saying she owed someone money and would repay it at the end of the month. Her mother sent the money.
The following day, another message arrived saying she had been admitted to hospital and needed Sh12,000 for treatment after a road accident while travelling to Eldoret.
She also asked her sister for Sh2,600.
During this period, “Mary” never answered calls. Incoming calls were declined and followed by text messages claiming her phone was damaged.
We traced Mary’s estranged husband, Mr Mixson Leruso, in Nanyuki. He said he suspected something was wrong when he was informed that she had been asking for money.
When he visited her rented house on January 24, he was told she had been missing for days.
“We were told Mary had relocated and left with her ‘cousin Joseph’. In fact, when we arrived, we found the house had already been taken by a new tenant,” he said.
After the suspect allegedly killed Mary, he relocated to Karatina. Little did Beatrice know she would be the next victim.
Joseph Weru is suspected of killing Beatrice Nyawira and of dumping her body.
According to Central Region Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Dr Abraham Mugambi, investigations traced Joseph to Karindundu, a residential area on the outskirts of Karatina town.
There, he had been temporarily cohabiting with Beatrice, a 23-year-old barber who worked in Karatina.
“Detectives approached Beatrice and told her they needed help tracking her boyfriend Joseph Weru,” said Dr Mugambi.
Police now suspect Beatrice may have alerted Joseph about the looming arrest.
On January 29, a report was made at Karatina Police Station that Beatrice had gone missing.
Investigators believe Joseph may have killed her to cover his tracks, fearing she could reveal his whereabouts.
According to an Occurrence Book report, two police officers accompanied Beatrice’s sister Annah Mugure to her house in Karindundu after the report was made and found Joseph in the house.
He was arrested and taken to the police station for interrogation, but was later released the same day.
Police say he showed investigators text messages on his phone allegedly sent by Beatrice.
In the messages, “Beatrice” asked for money and claimed she had travelled to Juja and would be away for some time.
But her family says that during the same period, every time they tried to call her, the calls were rejected and followed by text messages asking for money while claiming her phone was damaged.
Concerned, the family sent a relative to check on Beatrice at the barbershop in Karatina town.
“At the barbershop, Beatrice’s employer said he last saw her on January 24 and did not know why she had not reported to work,” said Beatrice’s aunt, Grace Muriuki. Neighbours also said Beatrice had left in the company of Joseph on January 25.
On the night of February 12, Beatrice’s decomposing body was found dumped in Ithekahuno forest in Tetu Sub-County along River Sagana.
A post-mortem conducted at Nyeri County Referral Hospital later revealed that, like Mary, Beatrice died from blunt force trauma.
A suspected serial killer falsely accused DCI officers of hiring him to assassinate Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi (right).
After learning that Beatrice’s body had been found, investigators say Joseph attempted to divert attention by approaching Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi with a claim that two police officers had plotted to assassinate the legislator.
The information was relayed to the MP by Thiuu sub-location assistant chief Justus Gathecha, who said Joseph had reported that he had been hired by individuals believed to be DCI officers from Mathira East to carry out the assassination.
Investigations later revealed that the two officers mentioned, Corporal Richard Boen and Police Constable Jesse Muriki, were actually the detectives investigating the circumstances surrounding Beatrice’s death.
“He lied so that he could instil fear in the officers and slow down the investigations,” said Dr Mugambi, adding that Joseph was immediately arrested and the officers cleared of suspicion.
Further investigations revealed that Joseph was in possession of both Mary’s and Beatrice’s phones.
“After the arrest, we discovered he had been impersonating the two women and sending messages to their relatives asking for money,” Dr Mugambi said.
Forensic investigations also showed that he had the phone PINs of both victims and was withdrawing money from M-Pesa shops in Karatina town.
Police say that since his arrest, Joseph has been confessing to the killings after persistent interrogation.
“So far we believe what he says because his statements corroborate the evidence we have gathered and the forensic analysis conducted on the victims,” said Dr Mugambi, adding that the suspect led police to where he had dumped Mary’s body at Ithekahuno forest.
Preliminary investigations have also revealed that Joseph had previously been arrested on October 28, 2025, for impersonating a police officer.
Records at the Karatina Law Courts show he was found guilty of being in possession of police trousers and fined Sh40,000 or sentenced to one year in prison. He paid the fine and was released.
However, preliminary investigations show that he did not stop impersonating security officers, as he kept military attire, which he confessed to stealing.
The DCI is now investigating whether he could be linked to other femicide cases across the country, as he has previously lived in Nakuru and Nyahururu.
On February 16, Joseph was arraigned before a Nyeri magistrate’s court, where police were granted 30 days to detain him as investigations continue. He will appear in court on March 19 to answer to the murder charges.
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