The implements used by the 28-year-old man who killed at least two children and kept parts of the bodies in a refrigerator, have been discovered by the police.
The intestines of the victims were also found buried on a cocoa farm and are being brought to Accra for further forensic analysis.
It is turning out that Richard Appiah used two sharp machetes in the heinous crime at Alaska, a suburb of Abesim near Sunyani in the Bono Region over the weekend, and there appeared not to be any gun used in the dastardly act.
A statement signed by ACP Kwesi Ofori said “the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Headquarters team investigating the Abesim murder case has yesterday, Tuesday, August 24, 2021, discovered a place where suspect Richard Appiah buried the intestines of one of the murder victims.”
“The intestines were buried on a cocoa farm at Abesim, which the Police have since exhumed for pathological analysis and forensic examination in Accra. The investigation team has also worked around a septic tank and other places of concern for further examinations. Two sharp cutlasses with bloodstains used by the suspect to commit the crime were retrieved from the scene,” the statement said.
Police Support
The statement also said that “the Acting Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has directed the Counselling Department of the Service to provide trauma reduction therapy, counselling and other psychological support to the affected families whose relations were murdered in Abesim and also to the Police officers in charge of the investigations.
“In furtherance of the directive, ACP Phyllis Osei, Director, Police Counselling Unit, and ASP Foster Nanewortor arrived at Sunyani on Tuesday, August 24 2021, and visited the family of Louis Agyemang, one of the murder victims to hold a counselling session to help reduce the family’s trauma. This was held with all family members and neighbours who were present. Private counselling sessions were later held with parents, siblings and some key immediate family members who were adversely impacted by the murder.”
The statement said “the team later proceeded to visit the family of the second victim, Stephen Boateng, at Abesim Alaska Junction and the same counselling sessions were held with the family.”
“Following the initial assessment, ACP Phyllis Osei and her team held a Critical Incident Debriefing session at the Regional Police Headquarters in Sunyani with the patrol team and the investigator who were the first responders to the crime scene,” the statement said, adding that “the Police Administration is assuring the public, especially the affected families and the people of Abesim of a thorough investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Further Investigation
The police have said one body was intact when they entered Appiah’s apartment and the mutilated bodies found in the refrigerator of the suspect could include at least a female, per the forensic analysis done so far.
Strange Visitors
Residents at Alaska have been making claims that some strange people were frequenting the house of the suspect and many are claiming that he could be involved in the criminal human parts business.
Police interrogation is also confirming the fact that Appiah appeared to be dealing in human parts until his cover was blown.
He is said to have told the people around him that he will soon become fabulously rich.
No Court
The anticipated maiden court appearance of Appiah, whose action can be described as a cannibal, has already delayed.
DAILY GUIDE understands that the police are still interrogating him for more leads before sending him to court after the mandatory 48 hours rule for keeping suspects expired.
The other person he mentioned as his accomplice has turned out to be false because the police said there appear not to be any connection of the said accomplice to the crime.
Luring Victims
Appiah, believed to be an architect or surveyor and a footballer, was a friend to the victims who have been identified as 15-year-old Stephen Boateng who was in JHS 2, the suspect’s own 12-year-old step-brother Louis Agyemang, and a yet-to-be-identified body believed to be a girl.
He is believed to have been cooking for the victims and showing them some affection, and through that supposed kindness, he was able to lure them and subsequently kill them in turns.
Cannibal Unmasked
The Abesim ‘cannibal’ is said to be a man who hardly smiles, and per police records, four persons are said to have gone missing in the neighbourhood where he lives.
This has led to a heightened suspicion that he could be behind the strange disappearances.
He is said to have initially denied knowledge of the whereabouts of Louis Agyemang, the boy who went missing, but whose body was eventually found in his refrigerator.
It was a man who lives in the neighbourhood who insisted that the suspect knew the whereabouts of Louis because he had seen the suspect and the victim together on the day the victim went missing.
It was alleged that, Appiah after the dastardly act, brought out his clothing and set it on fire, probably to delete any evidence of the crime.
Victim’s Father
The father of the last boy (Stephen Boateng) to be killed, Yeboah Asuama, explained what might have transpired between his son and the ‘cannibal,’ whom he described as his friend.
He said “the young man (suspect), truth be told, is my friend. It was only four days ago that he came to my house that – I also work with him, he is a surveyor – he came to tell me that the land he was planning on developing had sand and blocks on it and he wanted me to sell it for him, so I did.”
He said amid tears that “the young man came to my house to tell me that if he did not get the money by evening time, he would sell it to another person. And I told him I had already sold it and that the buyer would bring the money within the day,” adding “so that evening, a friend of mine and I took the money from the sales to his house and gave it to him. He gave me a receipt and escorted us home.
“Never! Never! Never! Have I heard or seen such a thing before, and I would have never suspected him in this way.”
The victim’s father confirmed that “he (suspect) used to cook and eat with my children. They were also friends.
“My son told me that he was going to the canteen we operate about 300 metres from our home. But, unfortunately, that was the last time we saw him. We had waited for him to return the whole night but he did not, so the next morning, we reported the incident to the police. We heard nothing concerning the police investigation until this morning when we heard that our neighbour had killed my son.”
He said amid tears that “when we entered Appiah’s house, the food my son bought was still beside his body. He did not allow my son to eat before killing him. My son died hungry.”
By Linda Tenya-Ayettey & Daniel Yao Dayee