Police work to identify serial killer’s fourth victim

Police are trying to unravel the identity of a fourth victim that a serial killer said he buried in the Mau forest complex a decade ago.

Mr Moses Kipchirchir has confessed to killing more than four people in Baringo and Nakuru counties.

The victim, suspected to have been a forest scout, was allegedly killed in 2012 and his body buried in a shallow grave in the Kiptunga forest.

The suspect, who led detectives into the thick and dark forest on Wednesday, claimed he killed the scout when the latter confronted him in the forest while he was making charcoal.

Baringo criminal investigations boss Joseph Mumira said the suspect claimed to have split the victim’s head with an axe, killing him instantly.
Mr Kipchirchir then buried his body “in a shallow grave in the forest,” Mr Mumira said.

The police dug up a spot in the forest to exhume the body but they did not find any remains.

They, however, took samples of the soil and other materials that Mr Munira said would be forwarded to the government chemist for analysis.
The senior detective said investigations would continue to establish the identity of the victim.

Burying her body in a shallow grave

“We will talk to residents and elders to find out whether there was a report made of a missing person at the time. We have reasons to believe that the victim was a person from within this area,” he said.

Mr Kipchichir, 34, was arrested on November 13 and detained in Mogotio, Baringo, after police linked him to the abduction and killing of businesswoman Veronica Kanini, who went missing on November 12.

While in custody, he confessed to killing the woman and burying her body in a shallow grave on the banks of the Molo River.
Police exhumed the body on November 24 and took it to the Nakuru County mortuary.

Police discovered that he had buried two other people in the same area.

He confessed to killing his wife Purity Chebet, 24, and his 18-month old son, both of whom went missing in September. He led the police to the scene and their bodies were exhumed.

Police told the Nation yesterday that they were still questioning the suspect, who has promised to lead them to another site where he claims to have killed and buried another victim.

Mr Mumira said the suspect claimed he buried his fifth victim’s body outside Baringo County.

The detective said the suspect claimed that killing happened before 2012.

[email protected]