Missing kid found dead, without tongue

A THREE-year-old boy from Chief Njelele's area in Gokwe South who was recently reported missing was found dead last week in Mapfungautsi Forest with missing body parts, raising suspicion that he could have been a victim of a ritual murder.

Two weeks ago, the child was reported missing with traditional leaders attributing his mysterious disappearance to the invasion of a "sacred" forest by illegal settlers who had stayed put despite efforts to evict them.

Chief Njelele said the three-year-old boy was found dead with a missing tongue after a week-long search by friends and relatives.

"I received a report from one of my village heads, Joseph Musiyarira, to the effect that a three year old child from his village had gone missing. The child was on Tuesday (last week) found dead in the forest and reports are that he had a missing tongue. The child could have been murdered before his body was dumped in the forest. The body was discovered by passersby," he said.

Chief Njelele said the body was retrieved by police and taken to Gokwe District hospital for a postmortem.

When the child went missing a fortnight ago, his parents engaged traditional healers and prophets to no avail.

The parents had been given hope by prophets who told them that the child was still alive but was wandering in the forest.

In an interview just after the child went missing, village head Musiyarira said the search for the child had been in vain.

"We tried to look for the child but we couldn't locate the boy. The bush is cleared and there's no way a child can go missing in such a clear area. Prophets are telling parents that the child is still alive. There's usually a lot of mystery associated with the forest and some people think it's a curse to invade the area," he said.

"The explanation which we're getting from local prophets is that people invaded this farm which was regarded as scared, hence the child is paying for their sins. People here have to either hold a cleansing ceremony or relocate to another area because we can't fight supernatural forces. We can't afford to see children disappearing. The biggest challenge is we don't know what might happen next," he said.

Midlands Police Spokesperson Inspector Joel Goko could neither deny nor confirm the incident.

"I haven't been in the office for the past few days due to other work related commitments.

"However, if I get any details relating to the matter I'll give you," he said.