Family identifies woman found murdered, body dismembered in Roysambu

A 24-year-old woman who was found murdered and her dismembered body stuffed in polythene bags, has been positively identified by her family.

The family led by the deceased's mother identified the body at City Mortuary in Nairobi, on Monday.

The woman was murdered in an Airbnb and her body stuffed in a dumpster at TRM Drive in Roysambu on Sunday.

The family was however adamant that the identity of the woman should not be revealed to the media. 

Sources intimated to The Standard that the deceased had confided in a friend her whereabouts, leading the police to trace her family.

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“We were told about the incident by one of her close friends who she had briefed about her whereabouts. We have recorded a statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) before coming here (City Mortuary) where the mother identified the deceased to be her daughter," said one of the family members.

Meanwhile, detectives from the DCI homicide Unit have taken over investigations of the murder of the 24-year-old woman.

The homicide investigators will conduct the probe alongside officers from the Kasarani DCI and officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau.

Detectives reviewed CCTV footage of the Airbnb and plan to check phone call records to unravel the murder.

Sources familiar with the investigations told The Standard the investigators will also conduct DNA examination to ensure all the body parts collected from a dumpster belong to the same person.

The woman who was brutally murdered had checked into the Airbnb in the Green House Apartment B1 with an unknown man.

"The report is not complete and no one has been arrested but we are on track as we trace the incidences from the supporting evidence already being worked on by the DCI officers who have visited the scene," said a police officer.

The incident was reported to Kasarani Police Station on January 14, by Pricilla Wangui Maina, the owner of an Airbnb.

Wangui told the police she received a call from the caretaker, Mark Auma, who had gone to check on the apartment and found blood stains.

She rushed to the scene and confirmed that the guest had not checked out and the house was clean.

They followed the blood stains to a nearby dumpster where they discovered a body in polythene bags.

Some of the samples collected from the scene including polythene bags and blood-stained clothing are part of the evidence in the investigations.

Preliminary investigations by the police after reviewing the CCTV footage showed that the suspect was a middle-aged man who had booked the one-bedroom Airbnb at Jully Mini Supermarket.

He was wearing black jeans, a black jumper, a blue shirt, spectacles and a white cap.

Notably, there is limited CCTV footage in strategic positions, which allowed the suspect to carry out the crime discreetly.

The identification of the man used to book the Airbnb is reported to be that of a woman, adding to the mystery of the murder suspect.

This comes days after the murder of socialite Starlet Wahu inside an Airbnb in South B estate, Nairobi.

Wahu, 26, was allegedly stabbed to death by John Matara.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Women Lawyers-Kenya (FIDA) and University Student Leaders have raised concerns about the rising cases of murder targeting women in the country.

In a press statement, the two organizations want the murder cases probed and the culprits brought to book.

- Additional reporting by Kamore Maina