A chilling discovery in a quiet riverside village of Chemelil has plunged Kisumu County into shock, fear and speculation after a beheaded body, wrapped in a green sack, was spotted floating in a river—raising troubling questions about a possible brutal killing and a calculated attempt to conceal evidence.
According to a police report, the grim find was made on Tuesday by two local fishermen who had gone about their routine fishing expedition, unaware they were about to stumble upon what investigators are now describing as a potential homicide scene. As they scanned the waters, the men noticed an object drifting unusually close to the riverbank. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a human body.
Police officers were immediately alerted and rushed to the scene, where their worst fears were confirmed: the body was male, badly decomposed, and missing its head.
Officers at the scene attempted to retrieve the body but were forced to abandon the operation as night fell. The river’s depth, combined with poor visibility and safety concerns, made recovery impossible.
“The body was lodged in deep waters, and attempting retrieval in darkness would have put officers at serious risk,” a source familiar with the operation told this publication.
The operation was officially called off, with plans put in place to resume at first light. On Wednesday morning, police are expected to return with reinforced support, including the Kisumu Fire Brigade unit and trained divers. A team of Scene of Crime personnel has also been scheduled to process the area once the body is recovered.
Adding to the mystery, residents of the Chemelil area claim they do not recognize the body, intensifying fears that the victim may have been killed elsewhere and dumped in the river to erase clues.
“This is not someone we know here,” said one local villager, speaking in hushed tones. “The fact that the head is missing makes it even more frightening. It feels like someone wanted to make identification impossible.”
Investigators are now treating the river as a potential crime scene, with early indications suggesting the sack may have been used to weigh down the body before it resurfaced due to decomposition gases.
Why was the victim beheaded? Where is the missing head? And who would go to such lengths to dispose of a body in a public river?
Police have not ruled out foul play and are expected to launch a wider investigation once the body is retrieved and taken for post-mortem examination. Forensic analysis will be crucial in establishing the cause of death, time of killing, and whether the decapitation occurred before or after death.
Security agencies are also expected to widen their net to include missing persons reports from Kisumu and neighboring counties.
As the river continues to flow quietly through Chemelil, the community remains on edge, haunted by the possibility that a violent crime may have occurred in their midst—or nearby.
For now, the water holds its secrets. But as divers prepare to descend and forensic teams gear up, authorities hope the river will soon give up the answers behind one of Kisumu’s most disturbing discoveries in recent months.
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