Detectives at Ntumu Police Station in Tharaka Nithi County have opened a probe into a suspected ritual killing after a girl’s severed head was found at a witch doctor’s homestead in Magutuni, Maara Sub-county.

According to reports, area residents were worshipping at Full Gospel Church on Sunday when they heard a girl’s cries. They said they initially didn’t pay much attention to the distress calls, Nation reports.

After the end of the church service, they decided to find out what had happened and went to an alleged witch doctor’s home. They reportedly found the 94-year-old witch doctor and his client eating meat but were shown a slaughtered goat.

Unconvinced by the explanation, the residents demanded to know the whereabouts of the girl the suspected witchdoctor had earlier called from the church.

A resident identified as James Mutembei said the Grade Two girl delivered milk to the old man daily.

When the residents asked about the girl’s whereabouts, the man and his client turned violent, prompting them to call police, Nation reported.

Mr Mutembei said when police arrived, they conducted a search and found the girl’s severed head hidden in a chicken coop.

The police officers forced the two to show them the body and were led to one of the houses in the compound. The residents said that they also found three slaughtered chickens with missing hearts.

Police arrested the witchdoctor and his client and took them to Ntumu Police Station.

“The old man, who is a known witch doctor in the village, called the girl and asked her to collect some bottles. That is when the two slaughtered her and ate her heart,” Mr Mutembei said.

But according to a report from Magutuni Police Station, the 94-year-old witchdoctor said his client went to his home and attacked the girl.

The report noted that the girl’s body was found in a goat shed, her head outside the shed and a slaughtered goat outside the compound.

Police said there was a slaughtered chicken and witchcraft paraphernalia inside the old man’s house.

They also recovered two stained machetes from the scene while the girl’s body was taken to Chuka mortuary.

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