Cynthia: ‘Why body was not released’

Posted by admin Headlines Sunday, September 9th, 2012

By Jide Ajani and Emma Nnadozie

Fresh facts which emerged Saturday on why the corpse of the late Cynthia Osokogu, allegedly murdered in July by friends she met on Facebook, was not released to the parents for burial on Friday point to the fact that autopsy was yet to be concluded, Sunday Vanguard can reveal.

However, a very dependable police source disclosed that the forensic investigation into the cause of death of the lady was only completed yesterday.

It was learnt that the reason the police could not release the body for burial “was because there may have been further need to carry out some last-minute checks to re-confirm some findings”.

The source added: “If the body had been hastily released for burial as scheduled by the family and the need for other checks arose, it would have created complications for the case. Do you now go and exhume the body?

“If you do that, you would be working on a body that would have been contaminated such that whatever findings you then make would never be tenable.”

*Late Cynthia Osokogu

Asked whether the family of Cynthia contacted the police before going ahead with burial plans, the source responded that “events have since overtaken that question.

“The truth of the matter is that the police authorities felt that the pathologist should finish his job first before the body is released.

“As Nigerians know, the case is a very volatile case and there is need for the police authorities and the pathologist to be very thorough.

“Expert opinion in such a volatile case is needed and vital because the pathologist would be called in as a witness to come and testify regarding his findings. The pathologist is a very renowned pathologist in forensic science and is head pathologist of LASUTH”.

RESULT AND FINDINGS

Asked how soon the report of the pathologist would be ready, the source revealed: “As at now, the whole process has been completed! The whole process finished today (yesterday).

“As soon as the result and findings are ready, the parents of Cynthia would be called upon to come and pick the body of their daughter. That is the situation”.

It would be recalled that family members, friends, mourners and sympathizers had converged on the Owa-Ike Street, Boji-Boji Owa, Ika North Local Government Area of Delta State on Friday for the burial of Cynthia but were disappointed when it was discovered that the corpse was not ready for burial as it had not been released by the police authorities.

Cynthia, the daughter of a retired army general, was allegedly murdered in cold blood by two young men she met on social media, Facebook – she was allegedly raped and drugged to death.

Her body was found in a hotel room in Festac Town, Lagos, tied to a bed after an anonymous caller informed the hotel authorities that there was a dead girl in the room.

Some suspects have already been arrested in connection with the murder.wp_posts