Tragic end: Missing Njoro toddler found dead in Ndarugu River

The three-week search for two-year-old Prince Nathan ended in heartbreak when his body was recovered from River Ndarugu.

In a telephone interview, the child’s mother, Jane Kariuki, confirmed that her son’s body had been found a few kilometres from their home. She says that she first learned about the discovery through a Facebook post.

“A woman and her children, who were washing clothes at the river, found the body. Out of fear, she shared the news on Facebook. That’s where I saw it and rushed to the scene,” she recounted.

By the time she arrived, the police were already retrieving the body. However, she was not permitted to identify it at the riverbank.

"At Egerton Mortuary, I was able to view the body for identification purposes. I could only recognise him by the pink pullover and socks he had been wearing the day he went missing. His body was so badly decomposed that it was unrecognisable,” she says, her voice trembling.

The mortuary give her a document to submit to the police while they continued to investigate what or who might is responsible her son’s death.

Nathan’s father, who had previously been treated as a person of interest in the case, had been released from custody.

"I have not followed up with the police regarding his release. I only know he was freed last Monday,” she explained, breaking down in tears.

"This is not how I hoped the search would end. But at least I now have closure because he has been found. Still, it is not the ending I prayed for,” she says.

Njoro Sub-County Police Commander Stanley Koech confirmed the recovery and says that they are now waiting for a post-mortem to determine the cause of death.

"We want to see what the autopsy results reveal before drawing any conclusions," Mr Koech stated.

Regarding the child’s father, Mr Koech clarified: "The court gave us 14 days to detain him while we conducted our investigations. However, the time lapsed before the child was found, so he was released. Now that the body has been recovered, we will meet with DCI officers and resume the case.”