Police are investigating a cold-blood murder incident after mutilated bodies of three family members were found dumped near their home village of Maguguni in Ngoliba Ward, Thika, Kiambu County.
The three bodies were identified as Peninah Wairimu Ngugi, 87, her 50-year-old daughter Pauline Njeri and their house help.
The family had just settled in the area three years ago after buying the land, neighbours said.
Police said two of the bodies were discovered inside their newly built house while the third one which had been beheaded was found buried in a shallow grave a few meters from the house.
This indicates the killers had time to commit the crime, dig the grave and bury the victim.
It is suspected three were murdered on Friday night by unknown assailants since they had already been decomposing, police said.
The bodies were discovered Wednesday, almost five days after the incident happened.
Police said two bloody knives suspected to have been used to stab the three were found outside their house.
The motive of the murder is yet to be known, a team that visited the scene said.
Neighbours said the three have been missing since Saturday last week.
An immediate neighbor said the family members had been collecting milk from his farm but had not picked the milk since Saturday thus a possibility of them having been murdered then.
“They have been picking milk from my home but have not collected it since Saturday. We suspect the murder may have happened before Saturday,” said a neighbour.
Thika East Sub County Police Commander Andrew Sora confirmed the incident saying police are pursuing crucial leads to arrest suspects believed to have been behind the brutal murder.
He said they suspect the three were killed two or three days ago.
“We have begun our investigations and are optimistic that we will have the suspects arrested for prosecution,” said Sora.
Villagers described the family as a peaceful one and they only settled in the village about three years ago.
The three bodies were transferred to Thika’s General Kago mortuary pending autopsy and other probes.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874