Nativity Mutindi, the prime suspect in the murder of Shantel Nzembi from Kitengela will remain in police custody for another seven days.
Mutindi, 27, was arrested on Friday last week. She was in hiding since the disappearance of the eight-year-old girl on May 31.
She was presented before Kajiado Resident Magistrate Edwin Mulochi. She appeared alongside another suspect, Patrick Muriithi Wambaire, 28, who registered the sim card that the suspects were using to demand ransom from Shantel’s mother, Christine Ngina.
Ngina said her daughter disappeared after she went out to play never to be seen again.
Moments later, Ngina received a call from a woman demanding ransom.
“I received so many calls. They called me first on Saturday, and they kept asking if I had managed to get the money. They could not wait any longer, just a day only,” she said.
Government chief pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor in his report said the eight-year-old died from suffocation.
He conducted the postmortem at the Shalom Community Hospital in Athi River on Friday.
The pathologist noted that Nzembi’s nose and mouth had been blocked. This suffocated her and lead to her death.
More samples were taken to the Government Chemist for analysis and also to determine if the young girl was defiled as it had earlier been reported.
When police pounced on Mutindi, they found her in possession of the sim card used to call Ngina for ransom.
A boda boda rider Livingston Makacha was also arrested for having the handset used to ask for the ransom.
Makacha going by investigations, was the one who dumped young Nzembi’s body.
A fourth suspect, Francis Mbuthia registered the sim card with his details in Kiserian. It is this sim card that would receive money.
Police are hunting a fifth female suspect believed to have been Muntindi’s accomplice.
They will be presented in court on June 15.
