This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On June 30, 2020, a gruesome discovery was made at Athi River Police Station when the bodies of two children, Alvina Mutheu and Henry Jacktone, were found hidden in the boot of a car.
The children had been reported missing on June 11, and their disappearance had sparked a search effort. A report of the probe is expected to be sent to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
According to Athi River police boss Catherine Rigera, the children were classmates at Shaun Academy in Athi River and were described as best friends.
The bodies were discovered after a businessman went to collect his detained car and reported a foul smell emanating from the boot of the car. The police are yet to establish how the two bodies were tucked inside the vehicle that had been in police custody since March 4.
Investigations are ongoing, with homicide detectives following a lead in the form of an unknown caller who had contacted the boy's mothers, Catherine Musembi, on June 13. The caller had asked for Ksh500 in exchange for information regarding the whereabouts of her missing child.
Further calls were made, with another person claiming to be a chief in Bomet demanding Ksh1,000 for the same information. The last call she received was on June 23, from a man who claimed he had spotted the children in Bomet in the company of another woman.
A police officer who had moved the car at the parking lot to create more space also recorded a statement. On the day the bodies were discovered, they had already started decomposing.
Investigators are trying to establish the motive behind the gruesome death and how the killer accessed the police station undetected.
