DCI launches manhunt for suspect after four-year-old goes missing in Nakuru County

The DCI has launched a manhunt for a suspect linked to the disappearance of a four-year-old child reported missing in Nakuru County on June 11.

Detectives traced the suspect to Rongai, but he escaped into nearby slums as officers closed in on him, leaving behind a mobile phone, personal belongings and a clinic booklet bearing details of another minor. Police are appealing to the public for information that could lead to his arrest and help establish the missing child's whereabouts.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the child was reported missing at Mwariki Police Station in Nakuru County, prompting an urgent investigation involving specialised detectives and local officers.

As the family searched frantically for answers, investigators said the suspect allegedly intensified their distress by attempting to extort money from them.

"As the family desperately searched for their child, the suspect is alleged to have compounded their anguish by attempting to negotiate a ransom," the DCI said in a statement.

Acting on intelligence leads, detectives from the Anti-Human Trafficking and Child Protection Unit (AHTCPU), working jointly with the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB) at DCI Headquarters and officers from Mwariki Police Station, tracked the suspect to a plot in the Quarry area of Rongai.

However, the operation failed to yield an arrest after the suspect reportedly detected the officers' presence.

"Upon noticing the detectives closing in on him, the suspect fled into nearby slums and has since remained at large," the statement said.

A subsequent search of the room where the suspect had spent the night uncovered a mobile phone, personal belongings and a mother-and-child clinic booklet bearing the particulars of another minor from Nakuru County.

The discovery has raised further questions about the suspect's activities and whether other children could have been targeted.

The DCI has urged members of the public with any information that may assist in the suspect's arrest or help establish his whereabouts to come forward.

"Anyone with information that may assist in his arrest or help establish his whereabouts is urged to report to the nearest police station or anonymously through #FichuaKwaDCI," the agency said.

Members of the public can also share information through the toll-free number 0800 722 203 or via WhatsApp on 0709 570 000 as detectives continue their search for both the suspect and the missing child.