Murder, suicide victims’ bodies remain unclaimed
By Nqobile Tshili
BODIES of a murder and two suicide victims are yet to be identified, months after they were found in different areas in Bulawayo.
Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango yesterday said the bodies are still at the Bulawayo United Hospitals (UBH) mortuary as no one has come forward to claim them.
She said all the three had no identity documents when they were found.
Insp Simango appealed to members of the public who are missing their relatives to approach the police or visit the UBH mortuary.
“We still haven’t located relatives of a man who hanged himself outside the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) also known as ZITF, while those of a man who hanged himself on a tree at a park in May have also not been found.
“We are also still inviting residents who are missing a teenage girl to come forward as the body of a teenager who was murdered in Iminyela suburb in June is still unclaimed,” she said.
Insp Simango urged members of the public to always carry their identity particulars so that in case of a mishap police can easily locate their relatives.
A female teenager who is believed to be aged between 16 and 17 years was found dead in a bushy area in Iminyela suburb in June and her body had reached an advanced stage of decomposition.
After the discovery of her body, the police concluded that she was killed but the murder investigations have hit a snag since she is unknown.
Her decomposing body made it impossible for one to identify her using the naked eye forcing the police to engage the National University of Science and Technology’s DNA laboratory for tests.
Three families initially suspected that the murdered child was theirs but they all withdrew their claims. One of the families is said to have found its daughter in South Africa.
The other family from Mabutweni suburb was almost convinced that the murdered teen was their daughter, only for their child to resurface.
No information was provided on the third family, but so far no other family has since come forward to claim the body.
The other unclaimed body is that of a man believed to be between 30 and 40 years of age found hanging at Hume Park, on a thorn tree.
Again in April, a man believed to be in his late 20s to early 30s allegedly committed suicide at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre (ZIEC) also known as ZITF.
He is still to be identified or claimed and just like the other two bodies, he was found without any form of identification. The Chronicle
