Foul smell leads to discovery of missing teen’s body in Vihiga

Crime scenePolice are investigating three separate deaths in Vihiga, Meru and Murang’a counties, including the discovery of two bodies and the death of a five-month-old baby whose parents have been arrested.

In Vihiga County, detectives are investigating the suspected murder of a 17-year-old boy whose decomposing body was found inside a deep pit in Mukamari Village, Tiriki East Sub-County.

The body of Edwin Muduvuda was discovered on Sunday, October 18, 2026, after an administrator reported a foul smell coming from a deep pit covered with timber and iron sheets.

Detectives who visited the scene found the teenager’s decomposing body inside the pit.

Preliminary information obtained from the boy’s mother indicated that he went missing on October 9, 2026, at around 8 pm after leaving home to attend a burial night vigil in the neighbourhood.

The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, with detectives expected to establish what happened and identify those responsible.

Investigators processed the scene before moving the body to Jumuia Mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination to establish the cause of death.

Police investigations into the incident are ongoing.

In a separate incident in Meru County, police have launched investigations after the body of an unidentified man was discovered in a thicket in Renu Village, Tigania East Sub-County.

The body was found on October 18, 2026, with the man lying on his side and without shoes.

Police examined and searched the body but did not recover identification documents or other items that could help establish his identity.

Investigators documented the scene before moving the body to Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved pending a postmortem examination.

The examination is expected to help establish the cause of death, as detectives work to identify the deceased and determine the circumstances surrounding his death.

Meanwhile, police in Murang’a County have arrested the parents of a five-month-old baby after a postmortem examination established that the infant died from suffocation.

The child had initially been reported to have died suddenly before the examination was conducted at Kiriaini Mission Hospital Mortuary on Sunday, October 18, 2026.

The postmortem was conducted by a pathologist in the presence of a Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) team led by the Mathioya Sub-County DCI.

The doctor’s findings indicated that the infant died as a result of suffocation, prompting further investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death.

The child’s father and mother were subsequently arrested as persons of interest in the case.

The two were escorted to Kiriaini Police Station, where they were booked as detectives pursue further investigations.

Police have not disclosed additional details about the circumstances surrounding the infant’s death.

The three cases remain under investigation, with postmortem examinations expected to help establish the causes of death in the cases involving the teenager and the unidentified man.