The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is calling on the members of the public to help them trace the main suspect in the brutal murder of Rita Waeni.
In a public notice on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, DCI said the major obstacle in their investigation was tracking down the main suspect in Waeni’s death.
DCI admitted that the main suspect remains elusive even though he was captured by CCTV cameras walking Rita Waeni to her death.
The investigative agency appealed to members of the public to step forward if they could recognise the suspect caught on CCTV.
“The prime suspect in the murder, a man only captured by CCTV cameras walking Rita to her scene of death remains in the holes, and the DCI Homicide team is sparing no resource in his pursuit.
“In its endeavour to expedite the delivery of justice to the young soul and provide closure to the family, the Homicide Directorate calls upon anyone who can identify the man whose images (though blurry) appear on this post, to come forward and share information that may assist in his arrest,” DCI said in a statement.
“To share any information on the suspect’s identity or whereabouts, please #FichuakwaDCI through our toll-free hotline 0800 722 203, or report to any police station or police officer,” the statement added.
Criminal mind
DCI additionally stated that the main suspect in Rita Waeni’s murder hid traces that could led detectives to his hideout.
The investigative agency noted that the suspect has a criminal mind evident by how he avoided CCTV cameras and used pseudo-accounts to communicate with Waeni.
“Although his identity remains unknown, it has been established that he first initiated communication with the late Waeni on October 2, 2023, through an Instagram account in the name of Carlton Maina (pseudo), a name that was later changed several times and finally pulled down immediately after the heinous murder.
“The suspect is believed to have visited several hotels in Nairobi West in October 2023 and the Green House Airbnb located in Roysambu along TRM Drive on Nov 7 and Nov 11, 2023. He is also believed to have a criminal mind evidenced by his way of evading CCTV cameras. He is fluent in Swahili and English and has knowledge of Nairobi and its environs,” DCI said.
DCI further stated that its sleuths were in the advanced stages of unravelling Rita Waeni’s murder.
“The DCI Homicide detectives are at advanced stages of investigation of the monstrous murder of Miss Rita Waeni, 20, whose young life was ended in January 2024 by yet to be arrested cold-blooded killer(s).
“Before her tragic death, Rita Waeni, a third-year student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology was staying with her aunt at Syokimau in Nairobi, the home she left at 3 pm on January 13, 2024, never to return alive.
“Elaborate forensic analyses have so far been done by the investigating team, capturing the deceased’s last moments and linking probable suspects to her murder. Further, detailed statements by persons of interest have been recorded and more data sourced from digital platforms to ensure that all leads to Rita’s killer(s) are utilized,” DCI said.
Autopsy
The autopsy report released on January 25, 2024, said that Rita Waeni’s cause of death was strangulation before her head was chopped off at the neck. Her scalp was also bruised with a blunt object.
“The main findings were that the head had been chopped off from the neck at the level of C5 (vertebrae on the neck) We also saw some fractures on bones,” Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor said following the conclusion of a postmortem examination at City Mortuary, Nairobi.
Adding; “I can comfortably conclude that the cause of death was strangulation after which she was decapitated and her body dumped.”
Rita Waeni’s family positively identified the human head that had been recovered from a dam in Kiambaa, Kiambu County through her forehead.
