What you need to know:
- Condemning the incident, police detective Mr Dominic Iranya Koma stated that law enforcement is working tirelessly to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the young girl's death.
Residents of Mokolo East Village in Adropi Sub-county, Adjumani District, have been left in shock after the body of a four-year-old girl was discovered in a maize garden on Monday morning.
The deceased, identified as Emmily Juru, went missing from her home on Sunday evening during a heavy downpour.
Speaking to this publication on Monday, the deceased's father, Mr Samuel Mule, said the child disappeared between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. The incident prompted an intensive search by family members and neighbours, which continued until about 11:00 pm without success. Mr Mule expressed the family's deep devastation following the discovery of his daughter's body the following morning.
According to the LC1 chairperson of Mokolo East Village, Mr Simon Jurugo Drikota, a local resident spotted the body at around 6:39 am and immediately alerted the authorities.
“This is not the first time we have experienced this kind of killing. It is now the third time. One incident happened last year and another one this year,” Mr Drikota said, appealing to community members to remain vigilant and take greater responsibility for the safety of their children.
Police officers visited and cordoned off the scene, deploying a sniffer dog to assist with investigations into the suspected murder.
Condemning the incident, police detective Mr Dominic Iranya Koma stated that law enforcement is working tirelessly to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the young girl's death.
“It is a very painful incident for everyone, but we want to establish the truth. We have taken one person for questioning, and we still need to record statements from more people. We shall take the body for a postmortem to establish the actual cause of death,” Mr Koma said.
Mr Koma clarified that the individual brought in for interrogation was assisting with the investigation and has not been identified as a perpetrator. He added that immediate neighbours, including three individuals, are expected to record statements.
Urging the public to cooperate with law enforcement, Mr Koma appealed to residents to volunteer any information that could lead to a breakthrough in the case.
“No one should take the law into his or her own hands. Let us remain calm as we wait for the doctors to establish the real cause of death,” Mr Koma advised.
Police have since launched a murder investigation, while an autopsy report is expected to provide further details regarding the cause of death.