Detectives in Kisumu have recovered the decomposing body of a 21-year-old RIAT College student in RIAT Forest, bearing multiple stab wounds.
The discovery follows the earlier arrest of the prime suspect, Steven Coleman Okoth, who is believed to have orchestrated her gang rape, torture, and subsequent disappearance. He was apprehended in Kisumu’s Milimani area on the night of April 5, 2026.
According to the DCI, the victim’s elder sister grew increasingly anxious after repeated attempts to reach her failed. Her fears were confirmed around midnight when a distressing text message indicated that the victim had been lured into a drinking spree by two male colleagues from the same institution, leaving her incapacitated.
In her vulnerable state, she was allegedly sexually assaulted and abandoned in a bush in critical condition. Before she could be rescued, her phone went offline.
The incident was reported, prompting detectives from Kisumu West Sub-County to launch investigations. Using forensic analysis, the team traced the victim’s last known location to the Milimani area near the Kenya Wildlife Service offices.
“Despite a thorough search for her, she wasn’t found. Persistent probe into the matter shed some light when one suspect was identified and flushed from his hole. Said to be the victim’s former boyfriend, he had been spotted with the heavily drugged lady that evening”. The DCI explained in a statement.
Investigations further revealed a series of threats issued to the victim over the past two months by the suspect, who repeatedly visited her residence in RIAT in search of her.
At the time of arrest, the suspect was found with crucial exhibits of evidential value, which detectives have been using in their search for the missing student and other suspects.
Coleman Steve Okoth is currently being processed for arraignment as the search for his accomplices continues.
