Nyeri County detectives have intensified investigations into a grisly double murder linked to 23-year-old Joseph Njoroge Weru, who has now been detained for 30 days as the probe deepens.
Under the oversight of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), homicide detectives, supported by the Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI), the Photographic Imaging and Acoustics Unit, and the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), have been meticulously piecing together the events leading to the killings.
Investigators have established that two young women — Mary Yamasei Merutuni, 28, and Beatrice Nyawira Nyokabi, 22 — fell victim to calculated and violent attacks.
According to the DCI, on 17 January 2026, Mary Yamasei left her rented residence in the Castle area of Naro Moru after the suspect convinced her to accompany him for what he described as a “picnic” in Karogoto, Thiu Sub-Location.
Along a hiking track near Karogoto Stream, the suspect allegedly struck her repeatedly on the back of the head, killing her.
He then reportedly dragged her body into the stream in a bid to conceal the crime.
The following day, local residents discovered Mary’s body and alerted Kiamachimbi Police Station. At the scene, detectives recovered a thick, blood-stained stick believed to be the murder weapon.
The DCI revealed that Weru allegedly returned to Mary’s home after the killing, stealing household items including furniture, which he sold at a second-hand shop, and reportedly spent the night in the victim’s house.
In a separate but linked incident, 22-year-old Beatrice Nyawira Nyokabi was allegedly lured and killed under similar circumstances.
The details of the second murder are under careful forensic and intelligence scrutiny, with investigators working to determine motive and possible links between the two attacks.
The suspect is currently held at Nyeri Police Station under strict DCI supervision, as detectives carry out exhaustive interrogations and forensic examinations.
The agency has called on members of the public with any information to come forward to aid in completing the investigation.
“This is a highly disturbing case involving premeditated killings, theft, and extreme brutality. Our teams are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that justice is served,” the DCI said in a statement Thursday.
The 30-day detention order allows detectives to continue collecting evidence, including digital, forensic, and testimonial leads, as the county reels from the shocking murders.