The body of Maribel Kapolon, the missing nine-year-old
daughter of a Kenyan Senior Magistrate has been found dead and body
dumped in a forest.
Preliminary police reports stated the girl, daughter of Senior Resident Magistrate of Githongo Law Courts, Ms Caroline Kemei, had been kidnapped on September 6, while walking from school.
Witnesses said Maribel was called by someone who knew
her before she rushed to his car. She had been dropped by a school bus
and was walking to her home with three other pupils of Consolata Primary
school, when the incident happened.
The girl rushed to the car of the stranger leaving the
other children. Police explained that the girl had been called in a
similar manner by people said to be her relatives.
"The man called to
her and she rushed to him shouting “habari uncle”. There was no
commotion, hence her fellow pupils and those in nearby shops would not
have suspected anything sinister." says the report.
Shortly afterwards, the kidnappers demanded a ransom of Sh500,000 but never followed up on their demand.
A search was mounted them with police and family appealing for information that would lead to her whereabouts.
Her decomposing
body, still dressed in her school uniform, was found on September 15, by
locals visiting a giant Meru Oak, a popular tourist attraction in
Imenti forest, about three kilometres from Meru town.
Officers, who arrived at the scene said she had one shoe and body bone signs of torture, with cuts on her thighs and an arm burned by acid.
Police say they are yet to establish the motive of the kidnapped and subsequent killing.
Family members are being questioned by detectives as they try to solve the crime.
"We don't know if it's related to her parents'work or it
was a domestic issue. We are investigating to know if the killers made
demands, " said an officer.