New details have emerged on the murder of Kenyan-born Bahrain athlete, Damaris Muthee Mutua, whose body was found on Tuesday, April 19, at a house in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
Keiyo North Deputy County Commissioner, Julius Maiyo, told the media that Muthee's boyfriend, who is being treated as the main suspect in the murder, fled to Ethiopia on Saturday, April 16, the same day the athlete was murdered.
According to Maiyo, the police traced his recent phone calls to Ethiopia.
The police also pointed out that there were no visible injuries on the decomposing body, indicating that Muthee could have died by strangulation.
"The slain athlete had visited the Ethiopian boyfriend on Saturday and we are suspecting that she was killed the same night because the body is decomposing," Maiyo stated.
"The police got reports that the Ethiopian had killed his girlfriend and when the officers came to their residence, they found it locked. They broke the door and found the decomposing body," Maiyo added.
He noted that efforts to get extradition orders were ongoing so that the suspect can be questioned and charged.
Colleagues and friends of Muthee, spoke fondly of her, detailing her hard work and passionate drive in her craft. They also revealed that she was a mother of one.
“I did not know that she had an Ethiopian boyfriend. She had only told me about the father of her son, who is a Kenyan,” athlete Christine Kambua stated.
They were aggrieved that Muthee's demise came at a time when she was at the peak of her career.
"I have known Muthee since 2007. She left Machakos to train in Kapsabet and we met again in Iten in 2012 after she finished high school. We last spoke in December,” marathoner Hellen Nzambi stated.
Muthee had made great strides in her craft winning major events such as the Marrakesh Marathon in October 2018 and the 10Km Casablanca Memorial in 2018.
She also participated in the Maputo half marathon in 2018 as well as Agadir Marathon in Morocco in 2017 where she emerged as the first runners-up.
Muthee's demise comes at a time when athletes were undergoing sensitization campaigns on gender-based violence following the demise of athlete Agnes Tirop with investigations revealing that her husband could have been behind the murder.
