A murder suspect who had been on the run for one and a half years died by suicide in Chogoria police station cells just hours after he was arrested.

Maara Directorate of Criminal Investigations said the 30-year-old James Mwaura took his life while in police custody where he had been remanded before being arraigned for the murder.

Police officers at the station said other suspects being held in custody screamed for attention and on checking they found the man had hanged himself on the ventilation grill.

Reports indicate Muthaura used his underwear to hang himself, which was found tied around his neck. The body was transferred to Chuka Referral Hospital as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) launched investigations.

Muthaura is said to have murdered his five-year-old nephew in Makeuni village, Maara Tharaka Nithi county on June 14, 2023 and dumped the body in River Tungu where it was later recovered by police officers.

After killing the boy, Francis Macharia, the suspect continued to threaten the family of John Mucunku before he disappeared.

The then Maara Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer (SCIO) Jacinta Mbaika said operations to track the suspect were futile, adding that the last recorded signal places the suspect near Kagaene in Meru county before his phone went off.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the murder of the boy followed a series of threats to Mucunku. The suspect had asked Mucunku, who is his father-in-law, to allow his wife, Annette Mukiri, to return to their matrimonial home in Mugwe, Chuka.

Annete had claimed that she fled her home due to constant threats on her life, violence and torture from the suspect.

Two days prior to the murder of the boy, the suspect had also attacked and injured Mucunku and his sister-in-law Diana Gakii, before disappearing and vowing to return and attack the four remaining family members.

The two families have had issues for several years, according to family sources. The suspect impregnated Mucunku’s daughter in 2019 when the girl was 15 years old and in Grade Eight. The matter was reported to the authorities but the suspect’s relatives intervened and allowed them to get married.

Elsewhere, police are investigating at least six suicide cases in the last three days. On Thursday in Nkuthika village in Chuka, Dennis Mwangi 39, died by suicide by hanging himself on the roof rafters using a rope. He left behind a suicide note, which he also signed and addressed to a relative.

In another case in Dago, Kisumu West Joseph Otuda Mbaja 40 also died by suicide on Thursday by hanging himself on a tree in Opaiye village. Police transferred the body to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital.

In Mwiki, Kayole, a man only identified as Brian alias “Tea Boy” also died by suicide inside his house on Wednesday. Police said they had launched investigations adding that no suicide note was recovered.