This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
On November 17, 2019, the bodies of a young mother and her two children were discovered in a shocking case of murder in Nanyuki, Kenya.
Joyce Syombua, 31, and her children, 10-year-old Shanice Maua and five-year-old Prince Michael, had gone missing three weeks prior after visiting her estranged husband, Major Peter Mugure, at his Nanyuki Barracks residence.
According to a text message sent by Syombua to her friend, Syombua Kateng'u, on October 26, she had arrived in Nanyuki and Peter had left with the kids but didn't come back with them.
As reported by Kateng'u, Syombua texted her saying, 'When she came from the bathroom, she did not find Peter and the children. She also told me when she called him, he said he was taking them on a tour of the facility and would be back.'
Major Peter Mugure, who is currently in custody, was arrested on Friday, and the bodies of the three were discovered in Makaburini, Thingithu area in Nanyuki, on Saturday at around 4 pm.
Reactions from Kenyans have poured in, with many expressing shock and sadness at the tragic loss of life.
