The body of the missing Wells Fargo human resource manager, Willis Ayieko, was found dead in Gem, Siaya County, near a stream on Wednesday.
His body was found cuffed, deepening fears of foul play into his mysterious disappearance last Friday.
Ayieko was last seen attending a funeral in Gem last Friday before embarking on his journey to his Kakamega home where he was supposed to attend a family function the following day. But after he failed to show up, the family raised the alarm fearing that he might have been attacked on the way.
Police Commander of Siaya Sub-County, Charles Wafula confirmed the grim discovery. “We received a call from members of the public who alerted us to a body near a stream in Yala. Upon arrival we found the deceased hand-cuffed, which immediately raised suspicion of a criminal act. Investigations are underway to establish circumstances of his death,” Wafula said.
Ayieko’s car-a Ford Ranger double cabin pickup-was found abandoned at a fuel station in Sabatia, Vihiga County, miles away from where the body lay. “CCTV footage from the petrol station shows two men parking the vehicle before fleeing the scene. We are doing an analysis of the footage and working with our colleagues in Vihiga to identify the suspects,” Wafula added.
The commander identified the case as one of the severest incidents, saying, “From the nature of the incident and the manner in which Ayieko’s body was found, we are treating this as a possible homicide. We will not rest until we get to the bottom of this.”
The family of Ayieko is still in shock, awaiting explanations. “We are devastated by his death. He was a peaceful man with no known enemies, and it is hard to understand why anybody would want to harm him,” a family member said.
Wafula confirmed that Ayieko’s body has been moved to the Aga Khan Hospital mortuary for preservation, with an autopsy expected to ascertain the actual cause of death.
We are appealing to anybody with information that can help in this investigation to come forward. Every lead is important in this stage,” he said, adding that the cooperation from the public has been very helpful so far.
