Family of woman who vanished four years ago clings to hope for 'closure'
Janet Chepkorir Chumo left home in July 2020 to meet a school friend at a nearby shopping centre. She has not been seen since.
When Janet Chepkorir Chumo left home in July 2020 to meet an old school friend at a nearby shopping centre, Mr Ambrose Lasoy assumed that his sister would be back home within hours as usual.
Mr Lasoy, a resident of Lailabei village in Kuresoi South, Nakuru, had no reason to worry: His sister, then aged 27, was a disciplined woman who would not spend days away from the family.
What Mr Lasoy did not know is that that was the last time he would see Chepkorir.
Four years later, she is still missing. But Mr Lasoy has not lost faith that his sister will one day be found alive.
Mr Lasoy claims Chepkorir was last seen in the company of her boyfriend who was an employee of their neighbour.
But the man, whom we cannot name for legal reasons denied the claims, saying they had already broken up.
"At first we thought she had gotten married, but after she kept us in the dark, we got worried as it was not her norm to stay out," said Mr Lasoy.
Searches at police stations and mortuaries yielded no fruits as days turned into years of pain and agony.
Mr Lasoy said his sister left home without her identification papers, clothes and mobile phone.
Missing person's report
Mr Lasoy said they filed a missing person's report at Olenguruone and Keringet police stations in November 2020 but were told to wait for an investigation, which never happened.
Since then, they have received no news of their sister's disappearance.
In April 2021, they were informed that a body had been found in the Bararget forest, but DNA samples were negative.
In September 2021 and August 2022, two bodies were found in Kiptunga (Kwa Isaiah Mutai) and Kiptagich-Masese forests respectively and the family was asked to identify if they were their relatives.
He said they were asked to conduct a DNA test but it came back negative, dashing their hopes of ever seeing their relatives again.
"When she left home that day, she had not argued with anyone. She never told anyone that her life was in danger. We are just appealing to anyone who has information about her to help us. We will accept if she is dead, at least we will give her a good send-off," he said.
Mr Lasoy says Chepkurui had completed secondary school and had ventured into farming.
He says that before she went missing, she had secured a slot at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology (RVIST), where she was to enrol for a course in agriculture.
Mr Lesoy claims that the family has searched for her in Bomet, Kericho and Narok without success.
The family is hopeful that their mysteriously disappeared loved one will be found and that the emotional torment they are going through will come to an end.
" We are still investigating and we hope to find them," said Kuresoi South Sub-county Police Commander Jeremy Leariwala.