DCI identifies students who lit fire at Utumishi Girls Academy
DCI identifies students who lit fire at Utumishi Girls Academy
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has identified seven students suspected of being behind the tragic Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire that claimed the lives of 16 students.
In a statement on Sunday, May 31, DCI said CCTV footage recovered from the school, coupled with enhanced review at the Forensic Imaging and Acoustic Laboratory, enabled detectives to positively identify the students suspected of lighting the fire.
According to the DCI, six of the seven identified students are among the eight suspects who had earlier been arrested in connection with the incident.
The investigative agency noted that the seventh suspect was among the students released to their parents, and efforts to bring her into custody are ongoing.
“Further analysis of the CCTV footage, conducted in collaboration with the teachers, has enabled the investigation team to confirm the identity of seven students who participated in the arson before escaping the scene.
“Of the eight suspects previously arrested, six have been positively identified and confirmed through the footage. The seventh identified student was among those earlier released to their parents and is currently not in custody. Efforts are now underway to trace and arrest her,” read part of the statement.
At the same time, DCI noted that postmortem examination conducted on the sixteen deceased students confirmed that they died as a result of severe burns.
The agency mentioned that the autopsy was conducted at the Naivasha Sub-County Referral Hospital Mortuary by a team of pathologists led by Dorothy Njeri.
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“The examinations confirmed that all sixteen students died as a result of severe burns. While at the hospital, the Kenya Red Cross teams provided psychosocial support to the bereaved families, who were allowed to view the bodies of their loved ones,” DCI said.
Further, DCI said DNA samples were collected from family members of the victims to facilitate formal identification of the remains.
“DNA reference samples were also collected from the families of the deceased students to facilitate formal identification of the remains which was necessitated by the extent of the burns,” DCI added.
The Utumishi Girls Academy dormitory fire broke out on Thursday, May 28 at around 12:45 AM.
The tragic fire resulted in the death of 16 students, while 79 others sustained injuries and were rushed to the hospital.
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