The death of a Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer found inside Nakuru National Park has taken a new turn after an autopsy ruled out earlier claims that he had taken his own life.
Investigators have now launched a murder probe as they seek to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
Corporal Leonard Ochieng Odero, who was attached to the KWS Honeymoon Camp within the park, was found dead in his house on June 23. Initial police reports suggested that the officer had died by suicide, but questions emerged after details of his injuries became known.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Thursday, June 25, at Umash Funeral Home in Nakuru by pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu concluded that the injuries sustained by the officer were not consistent with a self-inflicted shooting.
According to the autopsy findings, Odero suffered three gunshot wounds. One bullet entered through the back of his skull and exited through the mouth, causing severe damage to the jaw.
Another entered through the left side of his back near the rib cage and exited through the left chest. A third bullet struck his left shoulder from the front before exiting through the back, shattering part of the upper left arm.
Dr Ngulungu determined that the officer died from massive blood loss as well as serious head and chest injuries caused by the gunshots.
The findings have prompted detectives to reclassify the case as a suspected murder. Investigators believe the pattern and location of the injuries do not support the earlier theory that the officer shot himself.
Following the autopsy, police officers revisited the scene on Thursday to conduct additional forensic examinations and gather more evidence that could help establish what happened before the officer’s death.
During the initial investigation, detectives recovered several spent cartridges from the scene. They also found the officer’s service rifle and ammunition that had been issued to him while on duty.
Investigators further recovered a handwritten note believed to have been intended for close family members. While the note contained personal instructions, detectives now say that the circumstances surrounding the death raise serious questions that require a more detailed investigation.
Authorities are expected to continue reviewing forensic evidence, witness accounts, and other findings as they work to determine whether other individuals were involved in the death of the KWS officer.
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