The burial of the seven-year-old boy, Tapiwa Makore, killed and dismembered in a suspected ritual murder in Murehwa, will be delayed as police need the results of DNA tests on the torso, recovered first, and the limbs, found in a toilet later, to prove all the body parts belong to the boy.
Police are still hunting for the boy’s head, suspected to have been taken for ritual purposes.
The boy was murdered on the night of September 24 this year after being kidnapped earlier from the family garden.
The boy’s uncle, Tapiwa Makore (senior) and the uncle’s domestic worker, Tafadzwa Shamba, have since been arrested for the kidnapping and killing and have been remanded in custody for trial.
Results of the first samples of the torso sent for DNA tests last month were expected last week, but police later recovered the boy’s legs from a toilet and samples from the recovered legs were last week taken for testing.
The test results are expected in about two to three weeks’ time.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the burial might have to be delayed because results cannot be released piecemeal.
“Forensic tests are ongoing,” he said. “We have sent more samples to the laboratory and the family has to wait a bit until the results are out. The boy’s family has been appraised of the developments and they have to be patient until the tests are done.
“A comprehensive report, including all the samples, will be released once they are done with all the tests.”
Asst Comm Nyathi appealed for information on the whereabouts of the missing head.
“Up to now, we have not yet found the boy’s head and we appeal for information from those in the know so that we can recover it,” he said.
“Definitely, someone out there knows where the head is. We appeal for cooperation so that we recover it and complete our investigations.”
Government has also rendered support to the family during their bereavement. The Herald
