NAIROBI, Kenya Feb 20 – A Nyeri court has granted detectives 30 days to detain a 23-year-old man accused of orchestrating two chilling murders in what investigators describe as a calculated trail of deception and brutality across parts of Nyeri County.
The suspect, Joseph Njoroge Weru, was arrested on February 13 and arraigned on February 16, 2026, as detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) intensify investigations into the deaths of two young women.
Under the stewardship of homicide detectives supported by experts from the Crime Scene Investigations Unit (CSI), the Photographic Imaging and Acoustics Unit, and the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) at DCI headquarters investigators say they have pieced together a disturbing pattern of premeditated attacks.
Picnic That Turned Deadly
According to investigators, 28-year-old Mary Yamasei Merutuni was killed on January 17, 2026, after she was allegedly lured from her rented house in the Castle area of Naro Moru under the guise of a picnic.
Detectives believe the suspect persuaded her to accompany him to the Karogoto area within Thiu Sub-Location in Nyeri County. As they approached a hiking trail near Karogoto Stream, he allegedly struck her repeatedly on the back of the head with a thick stick, killing her instantly before dragging her body into the stream in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Her body was discovered the following day by residents who alerted officers at Kiamachimbi Police Station. At the scene, investigators recovered a blood-stained stick believed to be the murder weapon.
The suspect allegedly returned to the deceased’s house after the killing, stole household items including furniture, sold them at a second-hand shop and even spent the night in her home.
Similar Pattern
Just five days later, on January 24, 2026, tragedy struck again.Beatrice Nyawira Nyokabi, a 22-year-old barber based in Karindundu, Karatina, was reportedly lured for what the suspect described as a hike to Ithe Kauno village near the Gura River.
Detectives say she was attacked from behind in a similar fashion and fatally assaulted before her body was abandoned in a remote location.
Her decomposed body was recovered on February 12, 2026, at Ithekahuno Village in Tetu Sub-County, where the suspect later led investigators. Notably, the body was missing the right hand.
During an extensive search of the area, officers recovered a decomposed human right arm believed to belong to the victim. The remains were documented and transported to Nyeri PGH Mortuary for preservation pending autopsy.
After the murder, detectives say the suspect sold the victim’s mattress, bed, woofer and other belongings at a second-hand furniture shop in Karatina town and allegedly intended to occupy her residence.
Forensic Trail and Recoveries
In a series of crime-scene reconstruction exercises, the suspect reportedly led homicide detectives and forensic experts to multiple locations linked to the investigation.
At Beatrice’s house in Karindundu, investigators recovered clothes believed to belong to the suspect and an imitation pistol.
The team also visited Panafric Hostel in Karatina town, where the suspect had allegedly taken another woman to the deceased’s house after the killing. A jacket belonging to the suspect and the late Beatrice’s house keys were recovered from the hostel room.
Further investigations led officers to Kamwana’s Agency Limited in Karatina town, where the suspect had allegedly sold the victim’s household items. Shop attendants confirmed the transactions, corroborated by CCTV footage retrieved from the premises.
With investigations ongoing, detectives are now pursuing leads to establish whether additional victims may be linked to the suspect, particularly in areas where he previously resided including Nyandarua, Nakuru, Nyeri, Laikipia and Juja in Kiambu County.
DCI sources say forensic analysis and witness statements will be critical in building a watertight case as they seek to unravel the full extent of the suspect’s activities.
