This archive report was first published on 2 July 2020.
On July 2, 2020, a gruesome discovery was made at the Athi River police station in Kenya. Two children's bodies, later identified as Lvina Mutheu and Henry Jacktone, were found decomposing inside a car.
The children, aged 4, had gone missing on June 11 while playing outside their house in KMC Estate. Their disappearance sparked a search effort by police officers, who extended their search to health facilities and morgues until the bodies were discovered.
A businessperson from Nairobi city had gone to the station to pick up his car after it was seized following an accident. He reported a foul smell coming from the trunk, prompting police officers to intervene and find the two bodies wrapped in a black paper bag.
The discovery was met with a huge crowd, which police officers struggled to disperse. The two remains were later taken to the Chiromo Mortuary after their parents identified them.
The government has since deployed detectives to probe the matter. A pathologist handling the case reported bloodstains in the car, raising questions about how the officers at the station could have missed the foul smell.
According to reports, a police officer who moved the car on May 1 has since recorded a statement, alleging that the car was locked when it was impounded.
