Ntungamo District is reeling from the shocking details of a double murder involving a toddler and his alleged kidnapper.
Police have arrested three suspects connected to the heinous crime: Innocent Namanya, the child’s father; Jenepher Nuwahereza, Namanya’s second wife; and Alex Mutesigensi, a boda boda rider implicated in the scheme.
The tragic saga began on October 6, 2024, when Create Natukunda reported her one-year-old son, Elijah Ariho, missing after a woman, later identified as Mellon Ainembabazi, kidnapped him during a church service at Kahaija Church of Nazaren in Akatojo, Nyakyera Town Council.
Initial investigations indicated that Ainembabazi had been hired by Namanya to abduct the child but later discovered that the plot was sinister, leading to her own murder.
Reports indicate that upon realizing her life was in danger, Ainembabazi fled to her home in Rukungiri District with the child. However, the suspects soon devised a gruesome plan to eliminate her after she threatened to expose the scheme.
On October 7, Namanya, Nuwahereza, and Mutesigensi tracked her down, leading to a horrific confrontation.
According to Rwizi Regional Police Spokesperson Samson Kasasira, the suspects murdered Ainembabazi in their vehicle, packing her body into a sack filled with stones and dumping it into Kanyehunde waters.
Tragically, they then turned on young Elijah, wrapping his body in clothing, tying it to a heavy stone, and discarding it in the same location. Both bodies were discovered the next day.
The suspects remain in custody, facing serious legal repercussions for their actions.
