An autopsy conducted on a first-year student found dead at her boyfriend's house in Nakuru revealed her painful last moments.
Nakuru Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss, Anthony Sunguti, on Monday, January 2, confirmed that Phyllis Jepleting struggled for breath as her boyfriend reportedly strangled her to death.
The post-mortem conducted by pathologist Titus Ndulungu indicated that pressure was exerted on the deceased's neck.
"The doctor formed the opinion that the cause of death was asphyxia due to neck compression indicating manual strangulation," Sunguti reported.
Asphyxiation is a medical condition related to oxygen deprivation in the body, leading to unconsciousness and even death.
Ndulungu also took samples from Jepleting's remains to establish whether she was sexually assaulted before her demise.
He further established that the campus student was killed on December 26, 2021 - the last time she was seen alive in the boyfriend's house.
When police officers found her body, she was lying on her stomach and bleeding from her mouth, nose, and ears. The bedding was also drenched in blood.
The DCI launched a manhunt for the alleged lover, who went into hiding, switching off his phones.
Jepleting, an education student at Karatina University, had asked her parents to send her upkeep money during the Christmas activities since she could not travel back home.
Her parents sent her Ksh2,600, only to find her dead in Nakuru. In December 2022, another student, Victoria Muthoni, also went missing and was found dead in her boyfriend's house in Kahawa Wendani.
