Dorothy Ong’era, a Kenyan mother of six who died under unexplained circumstances in the United States, had her remains unearthed to allow for a new post-mortem.
The exhumation comes after a nearly year-long legal fight between her family and her boyfriend, Obadiah Kinara.
A Texas judge issued the order to exhume the body after her relatives filed a lawsuit demanding a second post-mortem.
Her blood relatives, according to the court, were unaware that she had been buried.
Mr Kinara, Dorothy’s roommate, informed her family of her death on December 17.
He said she drowned in the bathtub in a report filed at the Kennedale police station. Her relatives, on the other hand, did not see her body.
The cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning after an initial post-mortem examination.
Judge Allen also ordered Mr Obadiah Kinara, who had fought the exhumation of Dorothy’s body vehemently, to pay $39,700 (Sh4.3 million) in legal expenses.
Mr Kinara’s request for the hearing to be postponed was similarly denied by the judge, who cited no compelling reasons.
Mr Kinara, who did not attend in court and was not represented, did not provide sufficient reasons for the matter to be delayed longer, according to Judge Allen.
Mr Kinara’s absence from the hearing allowed Dorothy’s father to present his argument without opposition.
Dennis Mose, the deceased’s Kenya-based spouse, testified from Nakuru via Zoom during the hearing, telling the court that he was legally married to Dorothy with three children before she moved to the United States.
*This article was written by Marion Munywoki for Uzalendo News. Email: uzalendonews24@gmail.com to submit your story.
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