Suspect in missing woman case held for eight more days

Detectives will continue holding a suspect in the disappearance of a Kenyan citizen of Belgian origin for eight more days, a court ruled.

Lucy Waithera Njuguna has been in custody since February 3 when she was arrested in connection with the disappearance of Dysseleer Mirielle Lesoipa alias Leila wa Samburu.

The woman lived in Nakuru before her disappearance early last year from her residence in Blankets estate, Mwariki, Nakuru East.

Mireille fell in love with Kenya on her first visit to  Malindi 27 years ago and found love with a Samburu dancer who entertained guests. She renounced her Belgian citizenship and moved to Maralal where she married Emmanuel Lesoipa .

The couple formalised their union in a civil ceremony in December 1995 and were happy for nine years before the marriage became turbulent and ended in a divorce in 2004.

Detective Oliver Nabowe who is investigating the matter said in an affidavit presented to Kiambu chief magistrate Patricia Gichohi on Wednesday that immediately after Mireille's disappearance, Waithera and her accomplices who are still at large leased the missing person's residence to Avipro East Africa and started earning rent.

Waithera is said to have furnished the missing person's advocates, Hari Gakinya and Company Advocates, with death certificate No. 1600281 showing Mireille died on  July 15, 2019 at MP Shah Hospital, Nairobi.

The certificate was used to file succession cause No.40/2019 at Nakuru High Court in respect of the missing person’s estate and Waithera was named as a beneficiary.

The death certificate has since been found to be fake by civil registration services. MP Shah through it’s medical director has attested that the missing person was neither treated nor passed on at their facility.

Waithera is said to have been arrested on February 1 in her Milimani residence in Nakuru where the missing person's assorted bank cards and a copy of the death certificate were recovered.

She was also found in possession of Mireille's passport with immigration stamps indicating that the missing person traveled to India on December 12, 2018 and came back to Kenya on June 30 last year.

Investigators also seized a passport belonging to Waithera  showing that she too traveled to India  on May 12, 2019 and came back on May 18, 2019.

Waithera had alleged that she had visited Mireille at Janaupuri Bhagat Hospital  where the missing person  had been admitted since December 2018.

Preliminary investigations  from the Immigration Department have so far established that neither the missing person nor Waithera traveled to India from Kenya as alleged.

The detective further said that since investigations started Waithera had  been changing her assertions day by day, at one time alleging that the missing person died in hospital in India and was cremated at Kariokor crematorium.

But there is no record of the missing person leaving the country and  no records of being cremated at Kariokor or Langata crematorium.

Lawyer Cliff Ombeta representing the suspect told the court there was no material evidence supporting the investigating team's claims. 

Ombeta told the court that his client had given all information needed and had nothing else to say and reserved her right to keep silent.

Prosecutor Christine Mbevi told the court the state could not reveal the names of suspected accomplices to the suspect as investigations were ongoing.