A woman was this week found dead at her home in Nairobi’s upmarket Muthangari Estate in what appears to be a suicide.
Ms Hernandez Atehortua Maria, 43, a Colombian, is the wife of James Coulson, 47, the managing director of Garden City shopping mall along Thika Superhighway.
The mall boss, a British citizen, said he found his wife’s body in the bathroom after he had taken their children to school on Wednesday morning.
He told police that he left home at 7.30 am and returned about 15 minutes later.
“He found the bathroom locked. He tried to call her but she did not answer. He took a spare key and unlocked the door only to find the body hanging with a rope around the neck. He called their private doctor who pronounced her dead,” a police report indicates.
Police officers visited the scene moments later and moved the body to Lee Funeral home. They said the deceased did not leave a suicide note.
Coulson and their neighbours told police that the deceased had been suffering from depression for a while.
Coulson, however, clarified that Maria had never made any attempt to take away her life before nor confided in a friend or family member that she was planning to do so.
Detectives marked the bathroom as a crime scene as investigation kicked off.
Meanwhile, Garden City issued a message of condolence in a short statement.
“It is with great sadness that we confirm the tragic passing of the wife of our Managing Director,” read the statement in part.
“We share heartfelt condolences with him and his family at this tragic time and ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy.”
