A 72-year-old woman who had been reported missing in Kirinyaga, was on Sunday morning found dead in river Kiringa.

According to the police, the deceased, identified as Jane Wawira, a resident of Gitondo village in Njuuku sub-location, Gichugu constituency, went missing on Thursday, November 21.

She was reportedly last seen heading home on a motorbike, as a pillion passenger, as she left a local shopping centre that Thursday.

Wawira’s lifeless body was discovered three days later and after a frantic search. A fisherman is said to have discovered the body floating in the river.

Residents told Wananchi Reporting that the deceased may have been robbed, killed and her body dumped in the river.

According to Denis Muriithi, a close relative, Wawira was returning home from the shopping centre where she had gone to sell her cow.

“I understand she boarded a motorbike to take her home, only to be robbed and killed before arriving home. I have a feeling this may have been done by people known to her here in the village,” said Muriithi.

Following the incident, a mob set ablaze a homestead they claimed belonged to one of the suspects, destroying property.

A second suspect had his homestead surrounded by the mob, but was saved from the embers of fire by police officers who were called to the scene.

Kirinyaga-East (Gichugu) sub-county police commander Johnson Wachira confirmed the incident.

“At the moment we are treating the matter as drowning until statements are recorded even as we continue with investigations.

The police urged the residents to avoid taking the law into their own hands.

The body of the woman has since been taken to Kibugi funeral home in Kutus awaiting postmortem.