Two suspects, 36-year-old Patrick Misiko and 46-year-old Christine Jerono have been arrested on suspicion of being a part of a gang that robbed, gang-raped, and then killed a 76-year-old woman on July 18th, 2023 in the Serem area of Vihiga county.
The two suspects were arrested in the county Majengo area having had the deceased’s mobile phone Oking OK 237 that formed part of the items robbed from her during the July 18 robbery.
On the fateful night of July 18, the gang broke into her house and did the unthinkable. They descended on her with blunt objects and committed the abominable act. They had then made away with her gas cylinder, a solar cable, phone, and shopping, leaving her writhing in agonizing pain as she slid into her untimely death.
Neighbours who heard a commotion at her homestead but were too late to catch up with the robbers rushed her to Mbale referral hospital in a bid to save her life, but she succumbed to severe head injuries two days later. The case was then reported to the nearby Tambua Police.
The investigation was taken over by Hamisi Sub-county detectives, while Crime Scene Investigators backed up by their Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau counterparts initiated a forensic trial on the perpetrators.
As the interrogation of the two suspects continues, the search for their accomplices has been heightened with the local police maintaining a sharp lookout.
Vihiga has been experiencing an alarming increase in theft with violence and also rape incidents which have brought anxiety to many parents in the county. Despite the efforts to increase safety through street lighting by the county, still crime rate is still alarming.