What began as a routine family reunion ended in unimaginable tragedy after a Nyeri family discovered that their missing daughter had been brutally murdered, dismembered, and her body parts dumped in different locations.
The victim, identified as Joy Kanini, had spent last Tuesday with her parents, Pastor Peter Gathu and his wife, after they traveled from Lamuria in Laikipia County to Nyeri for personal errands.
According to the family, Joy, who studied at Nyeri Polytechnic and had continued living in the area after completing her studies, joined her parents for the day as they attended to their activities.
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In what would turn out to be their final moments together, the family shared time before her parents requested that she accompany them back home. Joy declined, explaining that she had a work commitment the following day and could not travel.
Her father recalled telling her how much the family had missed her before they parted ways.
The following two days passed without communication between Joy and her parents. Having spent time together recently, the family did not initially find the silence unusual.
However, on Thursday afternoon, Pastor Gathu received a call from a man who introduced himself as John. The caller claimed to be Joy’s friend and informed the family that she had been missing for one or two days.
Concerned, the family agreed to travel to Nyeri the following day to assist in tracing her whereabouts.
On Friday, Pastor Gathu, his wife, and Joy’s cousin met the man, identified as John Raiden Muriithi, at a police station in Nyeri. During the meeting, family members noticed that he was using Joy’s mobile phone.
When questioned about the handset, he reportedly explained that Joy had removed her SIM card and left it behind. At the time, the explanation did not raise alarm as the family remained hopeful that she would be found alive.
While recording statements with police officers, John allegedly mentioned that a body had been discovered in the Ngangarithi area but assured the family that he had checked and it did not belong to Joy.
As investigations progressed, police requested Joy’s identification card. John volunteered to have it brought to the station. However, shortly after leaving to make arrangements, he disappeared.
Witnesses say he casually walked out of the station while pretending to make a phone call and was never seen again. His mobile phone was subsequently switched off and has remained inactive.
His disappearance immediately shifted the direction of the investigation, with detectives treating him as a key suspect.
Seeking answers, the family requested to view the body that had been recovered in Ngangarithi. At the mortuary, they were confronted with a horrifying sight—a mutilated torso missing the head, neck, arms, and legs.
Due to the condition of the remains, police initially proposed a DNA test to establish the victim’s identity.
Before leaving, however, Pastor Gathu remembered that his daughter had a distinctive birthmark on her chest. Upon closer examination, the family noticed a faint mark matching his description.
Although emotional, they remained uncertain and agreed to proceed with DNA testing.
Moments later, police informed them that additional body parts had been recovered and requested that they wait.
Approximately an hour later, officers arrived with another body bag containing severed limbs that had reportedly been discovered in a pit.
It was at that moment that Joy’s mother identified a distinctive mark on one of the recovered legs, confirming her worst fears.
The dismembered remains belonged to her daughter.
Investigators say the victim’s legs and hands had been dumped separately, while her head and neck remain missing.
According to preliminary post-mortem findings, the killer allegedly used a hacksaw to systematically dismember the body before disposing of the remains in different locations in an apparent attempt to conceal the crime.
Police have launched intensive investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding Joy’s death and locate the remaining missing body parts.
Detectives are also pursuing leads regarding the whereabouts of the suspect, who disappeared shortly after accompanying the family to the police station.
As the search for answers continues, Joy’s family is left grappling with profound grief and unanswered questions over a crime that has shocked residents across Nyeri County.