Residents of Gondo in Tetu Constituency, Nyeri County, are reeling in shock following the tragic death of Baby Mary Wanjiru Mohinja, aged one year and six months, who went missing on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
According to the family, the toddler had been left in the care of a relative, Linet Wangechi, who has since become the prime suspect in the case.
Mary was last seen at around 1pm before she mysteriously disappeared.
Her mother, Ann Mwandaki, returned home later that day only to find her child missing.
Alarmed, she immediately began searching within the neighborhood, but her efforts, along with those of nearby residents, yielded no results after several hours.
The matter was reported to the area chief, who mobilized a larger search team comprising local residents and well-wishers.
Despite an extensive search throughout Wednesday, there were no immediate leads on the child’s whereabouts.
The following day, Thursday, the case was formally reported to the police, who arrested and detained Linet Wangechi.
Initially, the suspect reportedly declined to cooperate with investigators.
However, after continued questioning and intervention from members of the search team who visited the police station, the suspect confessed to disposing of the child’s body in a nearby river.
Acting on this information, a local man volunteered to dive into the river, where he tragically recovered the body of baby Mary later that afternoon.
Further details indicate that at the time of the incident, both the suspect and the toddler were outside, reportedly eating sugarcane, alongside the suspect’s own two-year-old child.
In her statement, the suspect is said to have claimed that she was “possessed by the devil” at the time of the incident.
Linet Wangechi remains in police custody as authorities continue with investigations into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
