A LEAKED internal Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) memo has claimed that St Mathias Tsonzo High school student Livingstone Sunhwa, who disappeared under controversial circumstances seven months ago, could have committed suicide.
This follows the discovery of remains believed to be of Livingstone last Friday, deep in a jungle about a kilometre from the school which is in Mutasa district.
According to the ZRP memo, one Linety Chapungu of Samushinga Village in Mutasa, told police that sometime in December last year, she saw a pair of black shoes and a belt along Mashorani stream which is about a kilometre from the school.
A follow-up was then made by the police using the information, leading to the discovery of items of clothing said to belong to Livingstone.
"A piece of navy blue cloth and a shoe lace were found hanging from a tree about 20 meters from the pair of shoes," reads the police memo.
"Another shoe lace and some suspected human hair were seen under the tree which is about four meters in height.
"Suspected human bones and a skull were found scattered about four meters from the tree on which the cloth was found hanging.
"A piece of navy blue cloth with a knot was found among the bones," said the police.
Tapiwa Kabaya, a Form 5 student at the school, also a former classmate of Livingstone has confirmed the uniform belonged to Livingstone.
The remains have been taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital mortuary for post mortem and results are yet to be released.
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Reports by State media claim that his mother has ruled out suicide.
Livingstone went missing on December 6 last year following his release from the police after being arrested on allegations of stealing snacks from the school's tuck-shop.
He was due to sit for his exams on December 7, the reason why he was released into the custody of is headmaster, Godfrey Mbona.
However, his parents claim they were not informed about the student's disappearance after he was picked by the headmaster from Mutasa police station.
His mother has since said she only got to know about the arrest after she was called by her daughter, who was also a former student at the same school.
She then travelled back to Zimbabwe from South Africa and went to the school where she allegedly did not get any help from the authorities.
The family also claims police did not help until they raised alarm by posting the saga on social media platforms.
Only then did investigations make progress after socialites teamed up to look for Livingstone under #JusticeForLivingstone campaign.
Police told NewZimbabwe.com that they were treating Livingstone as a fugitive although he was also under the missing people list.
Students from the school, in videos that went viral last month, claimed that after Livingstone allegedly broke into the tuck-shop, he was tortured by teachers including the by headmaster.
