Current:Home > NewsKenyan police say "psychopathic serial killer" arrested after women's remains found in dump -WealthRoots Academy
Kenyan police say "psychopathic serial killer" arrested after women's remains found in dump
View
Date:2025-04-14 03:28:38
Johannesburg — Kenya's National Police said Monday they had arrested a 33-year-old man whom they called a "psychopathic serial killer with no respect for human life." They said the suspect, Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, had admitted to murdering 42 women, including his wife, whom they say he acknowledged as his first victim.
Mohammed Amin, chief of Kenya's national Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said Khalusha had murdered some victims as recently as just four days prior to his arrest, but that his alleged killing spree began in 2022.
Amin made the statement during a news conference at DCI headquarters in Nairobi on Monday, and his remarks were also shared by the agency in a series of social media posts, which included a photo of Khalusha in custody.
- Planned tax hikes spark deadly unrest in Kenya
The police said they had been tracking Jumaisha's cell phone signal.
"It is the transaction of mobile money transfer using Josphine Owino's phone number that led detectives to tracking the suspect," Amin said, referring to one of the victims.
Khalusha was arrested early Monday morning outside a club where he had gone to watch Sunday's European soccer championship final. The police said that after he was arrested, Khalusha confessed to "having lured, killed and disposed of 42 female bodies," including that of his wife and Owino.
The suspect lived in a one room rented house just 300 feet from the Kware dump, an abandoned quarry now filled with garbage, where the remains of some of the victims had been found earlier, the police said.
Khalusha was allegedly working to lure another victim, a woman police identified only as Susan, when he was arrested.
"We have a second suspect who was caught with one of the handsets from one of the victims," added Amin, without providing any further information on the second suspect's identity or how they were believed to be connected to the murders.
At the news conference, police displayed a number of items they said had been found in Khalusha's possession, including 10 cell phones and 24 SIM cards, six ID cards for men and two ID cards for women, one pair of rubber gloves, 12 nylon sacks, ropes, gloves and a machete, which police believe was used to dismember some of the victims.
Officials started discovering the mutilated remains of women between the ages of 18 and 30 stuffed into sacks last week near the Kware dump, prompting locals and police to speculate about whether there could be a cult or a serial killer operating in the area.
As the slain women's remains were being discovered last week, the leader of a doomsday cult went on trial in the country, on terrorism charges over the deaths of more than 400 of his followers, in an unrelated case that shocked the country.
Owino's sister said she disappeared on June 26 from Nairobi's sprawling Mukuru slums, and that her body had been among those found dismembered at the dump.
The police said autopsies would be carried out on the nine mutilated bodies recovered so far at the Kware dump, and that extra police officers had been brought in to continue scouring the area.
- In:
- Serial Killer
- Africa
- Kenya
- Murder
Sarah Carter is an award-winning CBS News producer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. She has been with CBS News since 1997, following freelance work for organizations including The New York Times, National Geographic, PBS Frontline and NPR.
TwitterveryGood! (8)
Related
- All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
- Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, says efforts in south will carry no less strength than in north
- Takeaways from The AP’s investigation into the Mormon church’s handling of sex abuse cases
- Gore blasts COP28 climate chief and oil companies’ emissions pledges at UN summit
- What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
- Deebo Samuel backs up trash talk with dominant outing in 49ers' romp against Eagles
- Gore blasts COP28 climate chief and oil companies’ emissions pledges at UN summit
- Berlin police investigate a suspected arson attempt at Iran opposition group’s office
- NHL in ASL returns, delivering American Sign Language analysis for Deaf community at Winter Classic
- Kate Spade Flash Deal: This $249 Tinsel Crossbody Is on Sale for Just $59 and It Comes in 4 Colors
Ranking
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- College Football Playoff: Michigan, Washington, Texas, Alabama in. Florida State left out.
- If Taylor Swift is living in Kansas City, here's what locals say she should know
- Analysis: Emirati oil CEO leading UN COP28 climate summit lashes out as talks enter toughest stage
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Will Nashville get an MLB expansion team? Winter Meetings bring spotlight to Tennessee
- The North Korean leader calls for women to have more children to halt a fall in the birthrate
- The Best Pet Christmas Sweaters to Get Your Furry Friend in the Holiday Spirit
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Biden’s allies in Senate demand that Israel limit civilian deaths in Gaza as Congress debates US aid
Horoscopes Today, December 2, 2023
Opening arguments begin in Jonathan Majors trial
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Israel expands Gaza ground offensive, says efforts in south will carry no less strength than in north
'Colin From Accounts' deserves a raise
How to strengthen your immune system for better health, fewer sick days this winter