Murder investigations have just been launched following an autopsy on the body of a Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) officer found dead three days ago, which ruled out earlier claims that he had died by suicide inside Nakuru National Park.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

A post-mortem examination conducted on Thursday, June 25, at Umash Funeral Home in Nakuru by pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu has now officially dismissed the suicide theory.

The officer, identified as Corporal Leonard Ochieng Odero, was attached to the KWS Honeymoon Camp within the park and was initially believed to have taken his own life after he was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds inside his house on June 23.

Initial police reports indicated that the officer had sustained gunshot wounds to the head, mouth, chest, upper left arm, and left palm, raising questions among members of the public over how one person could inflict multiple gunshot injuries on himself in different parts of the body.

📌 What You Need to Know

According to the autopsy findings, the officer sustained three fatal gunshot wounds. The first bullet entered through the rear of the skull and exited through the mouth, shattering the jaws.

A second gunshot entered through the left back rib cage and exited through the left chest, while a third struck the left shoulder from the front before exiting through the back and shattering the upper left arm.

Ngulungu concluded that the cause of death was massive blood loss coupled with severe head and chest injuries.

Before the post-mortem findings were released, the incident had already sparked widespread speculation and confusion among Nakuru residents after early reports suggested that the officer had allegedly shot himself several times in different parts of the body before dying.

Police said the scene was reprocessed and documented as investigators seek to establish exactly how the officer sustained the fatal gunshot wounds and whether other individuals may have been involved.

Additionally, investigators said the pattern and nature of the injuries were inconsistent with self-inflicted gunshot wounds, prompting detectives to reopen the case as a suspected murder investigation.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke