Homicide detectives from Mbeere in Embu county have opened investigations into an incident where a man wiped out his family of three.

David Kariuki Nyaga is said to have locked his wife and two children inside their house in Kiamukuyu before executing them on Sunday morning.

According to the DCI, the village Assistant Chief had alerted police who rushed to the scene but found the suspect had already wiped out his family. Detectives who documented the scene described it as gory.

“Earlier, our officers had been informed by the village Assistant Chief Anthony Munyiri of the incident and together with their Police counterparts, rushed to the scene. Unfortunately, by the time of their arrival the suspect had wiped out his entire family in the most despicable manner,” said the DCI.

The suspect reportedly killed his 28-year-old wife and children, aged 9 and 5, by hitting them on their foreheads with a sledgehammer.

Detectives arrested the suspect and recovered the murder weapon as they try to establish the motive for the killings.