Dilemma on man’s death as two postmortem examination results differ

Edwin Muriu and Beth Waigwe, parents of the late Peter Macharia Muriu who was found dead at his home in Gitamaiyu village,Kiambu town Constituency holding his portrait at Kiambu Law courts on July, 6, 2018. [Kamau Maichuhie/Standard]

A dead man. Two conflicting postmortem reports. That is the dilemma that is facing a family from Gitamaiyu village, Kiambu town constituency over their son’s death.

Peter Macharia Muriu died on June 18, 2018 in his home under unclear circumstances. He was found hanging on the staircase with a loose rope on his neck.

The initial conclusion was that the deceased had committed suicide.

However, the family was dissatisfied with conclusion and they sued Macharia’s wife Esther Wambui on June 29 seeking orders to be allowed to carry out an independent postmortem.

The suit was filed by Macharia’s mother Beth Waigwe, his father Edwin Muriu and Macharia's first wife Teresia Myamura Ndung'u.

In her affidavit filed at the Kiambu Law Courts Macharia’s mother says her deceased son had intimidated that he fearing for his life after a fallout with a close friend.

Ms Waigwe said in the documents that she had advised her son to report the matter to the police on June 19 early in the morning.

However, she said, that was never to be as he died on the night of June 18.

Kiambu Chief Magistrate Patricia Gichohi on July 3, gave an order allowing the family orders allowing them to conduct another postmortem on July 4.

The postmortem was to be conducted by a pathologist as appointed by the two parties with a government pathologist being present if need be.

The family is now confused after results from two postmortem conducted so far on the body of the deceased showed there were discrepancies.

The first autopsy result conducted on June 21 at Kenyatta University Funeral Home where the deceased’s body is being preserved showed that he died due neck compression due to hanging with suspected chemical poisoning.

The autopsy also showed the deceased had an injury in the head.

A second autopsy conducted on July 4 in presence of Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansson Odour show Macharia died as a result of lack of oxygen due to a rope going around the neck.

A third injury was also discovered on the leg which showed there was a bruise on his left leg below the knee. The postmortem also confirmed the injury on his head.

However, the autopsy revealed that some structures in the neck among them thyroid bone and thyroid cartilages were missing.

The family pathologist Prof Kiama Wangai who is a forensic Pathologist said the missing organs were important since they needed to be examined to ascertain the actual cause of death.

“The question that arises is where the structures area. Once they are found, there need another postmortem to look at these structures and see whether they  have injuries or not in order to ascertain whether it was indeed suicide or murder,” said Prof Wangai.

Prof Wangai said if one has a neck around their neck, it could either be suicide or someone else did it for them.

“It is suicide by hanging, the missing structures will have a particular kind of markage and if it is someone who did strangulation on that neck, they will have other particular kind of injury,” he said.

He said as things stand now, it is difficult to ascertain if it was suicide or murder until the missing structures are found and a third autopsy conducted to reveal the real cause of death.

The first autopsy is silent whether the missing organs were present or not.

On Thursday, the family through their lawyer Beth Fundi moved to court seeking Kenyatta University Funeral Home and the Police be enjoined in the case.

“For the interest of justice, we are seeking that Kenyatta Funeral Home where the deceade’s body is currently being preserved be enjoined in the case so that they can provide information on who interfered with body and also explain on whereabouts of the missing body parts,” Ms Fundi told the court.

The family through their lawyer said they wanted the court to compel the funeral home reveal on the whereabouts of the missing body parts

They also sought the enjoinment of the police in the case since they were the custodian of the first postmortem report and also since they will be involved in conducting investigations on who is culpable on the missing organs.

The body is still lying at the mortuary awaiting the organs to be found for the third autopsy to be conducted in order to reveal the actual cause of death.