Grief has overtaken Kagio town, Kirinyaga county, following the death of a 9-year-old grade 3 student who went missing on Friday and was discovered dead on Sunday night.

The girl's body was discovered discarded in the Rwamuthambi River, with apparent evidence of heresy and strangulation.

Her mother, Caroline Wanjiru, said she did not return home on Friday, prompting her to file a case at the Kagiso police station.

PHOTO | COURTESY police car

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"I became concerned and informed my neighbor, and the matter was announced to the entire Kagio community and yesterday at all local churches, including Kagio Catholic," Wanjiku said.

Residents are now blaming a dealer who sells milk to Wanjiku. He is accused of purchasing sweets for the youngster before fleeing with her to an unknown location.

"We went to look for the girl at the man's rented house around 2 a.m., but the man was not there." "The man has yet to be found," Mary Muthoni says.

"We are lucky because a pipe in the Rwamuthambi river had blocked the body; it would have taken many days to see her body," says another local, Reuben Kihara.

Police have initiated investigations into the incident, according to Kirinyaga West Sub-county Police Commander Moses Koskei.

“We are looking for the man who is well known to the girl's mother, detectives are on him.”