After a postmortem revealed that the baby was slain, a TWENTY-FOUR YEAR OLD KITWE lady is accused of killing her child, wrapping it in a chitenge, and putting the body in a plastic bag.
Martin Mwamba, a Community Crime Prevention Unit (CCPU) officer of Mulenga compound, reported to the police on Monday that his girlfriend Leya Kasonde, 24, had hid the birth of his child.
A autopsy performed at Kitwe Teaching Hospital (KTH), according to Copperbelt Province Commanding Officer Peacewell Mweemba, found that the infant suffered a head injury, fractured ribs, and a hemorrhage on the right side of the chest.
According to Mr. Mweemba, the evidence showed that the baby was murdered.
“The postmortem on the baby that was concealed was conducted by a pathologist at KTH and the doctor cited the following as the cause of death, haemorrhage on the right side of the chest, fracture on ribs number 6,7, and 8 and a head injury. It was stated that the injuries on the baby could have been as a result of an impact of being hit to the ground,”he said.
Mr. Mwamba told the police that he had arranged transportation for his girlfriend to the hospital because she was experiencing labor pains.
He claimed that his girlfriend’s family contacted him for a family meeting after she was discharged.
Mr. Mwamba claimed that while inside the home, he noticed a foul smell. When he investigated a blue bucket, he saw a blue plastic container with a dead baby wrapped in a chitenge.
“When Mr Mwamba was searching the house and found a blue plastic bucket containing a blue plastic bag smelling of rotten things. When he opened it, he found a semi decomposed baby wrapped in a chitenge material. The matter was reported at the police post and the police found the body of a fully grown baby boy. The remains of the baby were picked and taken to KTH mortuary awaiting postmortem examination,”he said.
