Police hunt father over murder of one-week-old baby in Buikwe
The suspect, identified as Bashir Okello, a farmer and resident of Bufumbe Village, Najja Sub-county, is alleged to have taken the baby from his mother on August 11, killed him and later buried the body in a forest.
Police hunt father over murder of one-week-old baby in Buikwe
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Police in Buikwe District are hunting for a 21-year-old man accused of murdering his one-week-old baby boy and burying the body in a forest in Najja Sub-county.
The suspect, identified as Bashir Okello, a farmer and resident of Bufumbe Village, Najja Sub-county, is alleged to have taken the baby from his mother on August 11, killed him and later buried the body in a forest.
Hellen Butoto, the Ssezibwa Region Police spokesperson, said the incident was reported after the baby’s mother, Tracy Namudope, 20, went to her husband’s home at about midday to take the child for treatment.
Butoto said Namudope, who had been staying at her parents’ home in Busagazi, told police that she informed Okello that the baby was sick and needed treatment.
According to police, Namudope left at about 5:00pm, while Okello remained with the baby.
When she returned shortly afterwards with a woman leader from the LC1 executive committee, they found Okello had left with the child.
“The mother and the local leader asked neighbours about Okello’s whereabouts, but nobody knew where he had gone with the baby. They then placed announcements over a local radio station and a search was launched,” Butoto said.
During the search, one of the villagers, Swaibu Konde, managed to contact Okello by phone and asked him about the whereabouts of the baby.
Police said Okello allegedly told Konde that it was too late and that the child was in the forest.
“On removing some of the soil, they saw bedsheets, which raised suspicion that the baby had been buried there. They immediately reported the matter to Najja Police Station,” Butoto said.
Police officers visited the scene, recovered the body and began investigations into the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
Butoto said blood swabs were collected from the deceased for DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) analysis and comparison, while the body was conveyed to Kawolo Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination.
The suspect, Okello, is still on the run and police have launched a manhunt for him to assist with investigations and establish the circumstances under which his son died.
Butoto said inquiries are ongoing.