Police apprehended a second suspect on Wednesday in connection with the murder of Willis Onyango Ayieko, a manager at Wells Fargo.
The arrest followed a dramatic gunfight near Siaya Town, where officers recovered Ayieko’s stolen firearm from a woman now in custody. However, her boyfriend, identified as the primary suspect, escaped with injuries.
Police reports indicate that officers confronted the suspects, who were travelling in a private motor vehicle on the outskirts of Siaya early Wednesday morning. The suspects resisted, leading to a gunfight and bloodstains left at the scene, which police said that the boyfriend sustained gunshot wounds during his escape.
The pistol confirmed as Ayieko’s licensed firearm, was found at the scene without any bullets.
“We believe the main suspect is injured and request that local health facilities report any patient with gunshot wounds,” said a police officer involved in the case.
Following the shootout, police established roadblocks along major routes in and out of Siaya to try and capture the suspect. The woman arrested at the scene is now in custody for questioning, as officers investigate her role in Ayieko’s murder.
This marks the second arrest in the case; the first suspect was detained on Monday in Nairobi’s Dandora area. A multi-agency team, led by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), managed the arrest and is conducting forensic investigations.
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According to police, the first suspect was tracked to a hideout in Nairobi’s Dandora Phase IV, where he had rented a house, allegedly using funds from the crime. Forensic evidence placed him at the crime scene, and police have identified him as an ex-convict from Khwisero, a neighbouring area of Siaya.
Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor performed an autopsy at Lee Funeral Home, revealing that Ayieko died from blunt force trauma to the head, which caused fatal brain bleeding.
Additional bruises on Ayieko’s wrists suggest he may have been handcuffed, and missing tissue from his face and mouth is suspected to be the result of animal predation, as his body was discovered in a stream.
“There was bleeding in the brain, along with bruising on the wrists consistent with handcuffs,” Dr. Oduor stated, noting that the missing tissue was likely due to animal activity, as Ayieko’s body had been left in a stream.
The recovered pistol and Ayieko’s missing belongings are crucial to the ongoing investigation. Police hope this new evidence will lead to further arrests and provide closure for Ayieko’s family.
On October 21, a student reported Ayieko missing, and his decomposed body was found two days later on October 23 in the Mungowere stream. His death has prompted grief and a demand for justice from Siaya residents and public officials alike.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has pledged to follow all leads. “The autopsy findings will be foundational for the case we are building,” said Martin Nyuguto, head of DCI’s homicide unit.
