Detectives have arrested a man accused of brutally murdering his own mother and dumping her body parts in different locations across Nyandarua County, in a case that has shocked residents of Olkalou and surrounding areas.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the suspect, identified as Benson Maina Mwangi, is the second-born son of 60-year-old Millicent Wahura Mwangi, who was killed on November 11, 2025, at her home in Mwireri village, Olkalou.
The case was first reported as a missing person incident at Olkalou Police Station.
However, three days later, the search took a grim turn after members of the public discovered a female torso stuffed in a sack and dumped by the roadside at Rumathi village along the Malewa–Kipipiri road, about 37 kilometres from Olkalou.
Police officers from Kipipiri Police Station secured the scene and transferred the torso to JM Kariuki Memorial Funeral Home for preservation and examination. Efforts to recover other body parts were unsuccessful.
On November 15, detectives informed the family of the discovery.
Relatives later visited the mortuary and positively identified the torso as that of their missing mother, confirming fears that she had been murdered.
With the case upgraded to homicide, the DCI Homicide Investigations Unit took over the probe, working alongside Nyandarua Central Sub-County detectives.
Investigators launched a manhunt that led them to Kamulu, where Benson Mwangi was arrested on November 20 following forensic intelligence tracking.
He was arraigned before the Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court in Olkalou on November 24, where detectives obtained 21-day custodial orders to allow further investigations.
He remains in custody, with the case set for mention on January 19, 2026.
In a major breakthrough, homicide detectives on December 23 conducted a scene re-enactment exercise guided by the suspect.
An underwater search at River Malewa led to the recovery of crucial exhibits, including a machete believed to be the murder weapon, a bedsheet, a blanket, and other items allegedly disposed of after the killing.
The DCI said investigations are ongoing as detectives reconstruct the final moments of the deceased and prepare a strong case to present in court, as the family awaits justice for the brutal killing.