Police on Monday discovered the remains believed to be those of a child who went missing and was probably murdered.
The remains — including a skull and ribs — were found within the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show (ZAS) grounds where three-year-old Given Flint Matapure went missing in August, but their identity is yet to be established.
On Monday, police called Given’s parents to come to the hospital where the remains had been taken, to try and identify the victim’s clothes. But by the time of going to print, the remains had still not been identified.
An employee of ZAS, Obester Kupangwa, discovered the remains on Sunday within the showgrounds while preparing his maize field behind Glamis Arena.
NewsDay visited the scene on Monday morning upon receiving the news and found detectives from the Homicide Section cordoning off the crime scene.
The decomposed remains were surrounded by broken concrete blocks, metal wreckages, dry grass and maize stalks.
“On the 13th of November Kupangwa was clearing his maize field and during the process he stumbled upon the remains of a child that included a skull and ribs. There were also the child’s clothes; a T-shirt, a pair of trousers with a belt, one shoe and a sock,” Harare provincial police spokesperson, Inspector James Sabau, said.
“The scene was attended today (Monday) by specialists who included pathologists, forensic unit personnel and crime scene photographers. The remains were picked up and taken for further management,” he added.
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Sabau said they were yet to discover whose remains they were because of the state of decomposition.
“We are not yet sure whose remains they are because we have Given, who went missing at the showgrounds, and we also have other children from other provinces who are missing. So we will call in parents who are missing their children to come and identify what we have. So far, we have contacted Given’s parents,” Sabau said.
Efforts to get comment from the Matapure family proved fruitless as they were said to have left their mobile phone at home as they rushed to the hospital.
Given went missing in August and his disappearance attracted attention from different organisations across the country and many participated in the search.
A Chitungwiza pastor, Royce Archibald Kasumba, was last month jailed for four years after swindling Matapure’s parents of $2 000, saying he knew of the boy’s whereabouts.
Last week, a march in solidarity with the family was organized by the Tabernacle of Worship Ministries Church.
The march ended with various groups converging at the showgrounds where the boy went missing and the marchers poured their hearts out in support of the Matapure family.
