Man escapes lynching after brutal murder of his mother

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A 35-year-old man from Keiyo South in Elgeyo Marakwet County escaped death narrowly from a mob after he was accused of killing his mother in cold blood.

The suspect, identified as Kiplimo Ruto, allegedly killed Pauline Ruto, 57, under unclear circumstances on Monday.

Keiyo North sub-county police commander Tom Makori said the incident was reported by the area chief after the woman's decapitated body was found in her house.

When news emerged on Tuesday linking him to the murder of his mother, he was accosted by an angry mob but was rescued by security officers who took him to Kapchelal Police Station.

"When police officers arrived at the scene, they found an angry mob who wanted to lynch the suspect. After much struggle, he was rescued and taken to the police station," Makori said.

He added: "The officers collected the body but did not find the head."

Monday morning

According to residents, the suspect on Monday morning woke up and went on with his daily errands and only reported the incident later in the day.

"This was not a regular death, but that of a slaughtered person, and we are still in search of the victim's head. This is a murder case, and we are investigating," said Mr Makori.

Makori added that the suspect was under the influence of drugs when he committed the gruesome act.

"We are working hard to locate the missing part for investigations to continue and later arraign the suspect in court," he said.

The body was moved to Iten County Referral Hospital's morgue awaiting post-mortem. [Additional reporting by Mercy Ereu]