Murdered graduate Seth Njeri, 23.
A daughter of a Kirinyaga County MCA who was found murdered in Thika town's Biafra Estate on October 14 was strangled as she fought for her life, postmortem report now reveals.
The autopsy that was conducted on Tuesday by two pathologists at General Kago mortuary further stated that the most probable cause of Seth Nyakio's death was "manual strangulation while her nose and mouth was covered by a palm".
The autopsy by Dr John Mathaiya (for the state) and Dr Charles Muturi for the family stated that the killer(s) was or were powerful enough to manage to pin her down.
"Her body bore abrasions around vaginal vaginal opening with blood streaks around it to suggest sexual assault," the report reads.
It adds that the late Nyakio, 23, also had suffered multiply bruises on the neck, cheeks, breasts, thighs, eyebrows and elbows to suggest the sexual assault had met resistance.
The two pathologists also concurred to carry more research based on DNA, toxicology and histology to extract more accurate status report shortly before and after the death.
To that end, they concurred to take blood, urine and intestinal samples as well as vaginal and renal swabs for further tests.
Also, the two pathologists deemed it ideal to remove one of her kidneys for the further tests, concluding that "there is no doubt the death was a case of femicide".
The mother of the deceased, Ms Lucy Njeri, who witnessed the autopsy, described the killing her daughter as premeditated.
"I fail to understand why the killer(s) went to the level of torturing her by inflicting her body with all the scratches... it was like it was using her skin for graffiti practicals," she said.
On the afternoon that she was last seen alive, Nyakio had left her mother's house in Kamakis estate in Kiambu County to visit a female friend in Thika town.
Ms Njeri was to receive a phone call by the said friend in the morning of October 14, 2024 informing her that her daughter had been discovered dead inside a rental house.
"It pains to imagine my daughter's pain and terror as she breathed her last," Ms Njeri said.
"I'm visualising a scene of devilish attacker(s) seizing my queen, undressing her by force, violently scratching her body while sexually assaulting her as deadly pressure was applied on her neck, mouth and nose," the distraught mother lamented.
"By the look of the injuries and bruises on her body, there is no way that one person murdered her. It is apparent that while someone pinned her down, others were sexually assaulting her and squeezing life out of her soul by strangling her," the MCA said.
Ms Njeri said she does not understand how her daughter who had a phone worth Sh230,000, with more than Sh20,000 in cash and clothes worth more than Sh15,000 was found dead in a filthy rental house with all the hallmarks of a criminal den.
On Tuesday, Kiambu County Police Commander Michael Muchiri told Nation.Africa that he is closely monitoring investigations into the gruesome murder "first as a human being, a state officer and a parent."
However, Mr Muchiri said the investigators are pursuing credible and reliable leads and that they already have identified a prime suspect who they are are pursuing.
“We have every reason to believe that if we arrest the prime suspect, then everything else will fall into place. We will crack this case,” he said.
“I understand that emotions might be high among parents, relatives, friends and interested parties regarding this brutal murder. As a security team, our commitment is that we deliver justice,” he added.
This comes even as the bereaved mother demanded speedy justice for the death of her daughter.
“My daughter died in a well traceable sequence of events. The murderer(s) left a trail of footprints... she died because there are gangs that have been left unattended to in Biafra Estate,” she said.
Ms Njeri also said she is not in a hurry to bury her daughter.
“I will only bury her after there is a case in court. That is the last respect I can accord her. In any case, the pathologists have taken one kidney from her to help in compiling evidence. I will wait for it to first be returned so that I can bury my daughter whole,” she said.
