Monrovia — Parents of the seven-year-old little girl who was allegedly raped and killed by some unknown person(s) on July 23rd, 2022, in the Nimba United Community, Mount Barclay, are still waiting for justice as it relates to the brutal murder of their child.
The seven-year-old's body was discovered floating in an abandoned septic tank, a few feet behind a 'Jalloh Shop' during the early morning hours of July 24. The child's unbloated body was removed from the septic tank by the police and it was established she had been raped and her neck broken.
According to the victim's grandmother, when they called the police on the scene where the body was discovered, the police said they did not have a vehicle to collect people of interest, but they requested for money to purchase four gallons of gasoline for which she only provided money for three gallons.
"The police came and carried a few persons of interest for questioning, and some of the people who the police carried are back in the community because we hear their lawyer stood for them, but since then we have not heard anything from the police yet," the grandma said.
When contacted, Press and Public Affairs Officer Moses Carter, on the allegation of the people of interest being released from police custody; he said it was true, because their lawyers stood for them, until a probable cause can be established.
"It was established by a medical person that the child had been raped or tampered with before she was murdered. But you know rape is a very sensitive matter. We cannot keep the people of interest beyond 48 hours, so their lawyers stood for them until we can conclude the investigation and if need be we will call them back," Carter said.
When asked about the police alleged extortion, he said police officers who are accused, usually deny taking money from victims, but said it is very wrong for the police to take money from distressed citizens.
The grandmother who still sees the disappearance and death of her grandchild a mystery narrated how her daughter and husband usually brought their kids to her place when they are leaving for work and picked them up when they return in the evening, and Saturday July 23rd was no different.
"It was around four in the afternoon when my grandson toilet in his pamper and I did not see the pamper the mother left beside the smaller ones, so I gave Ma Hawa a L$100 and told her to run right to Jalloh shop to buy one pamper. But after a while when I could not see her coming, I put the baby in the tub and told her sister to look at the baby while I went to look for Ma Hawa, who I say I was going to beat for wasting time. But when I reached to Jallah shop right over there, he was not in his shop, so I kept knocking and a lady passing told me, maybe he is inside praying, so this is why he is not answering you.
"When I left Jalloh shop, I asked at the carpenter shop, the block factory and small business people selling on the road near Jalloh shop, if they saw my granddaughter, but they told me no. I was surprised that nobody saw the child walking on the road, when they all were sitting near the same road when the child passed," she said.
Regarding the grandmother's concern of neighbors denying of not seeing the child, Carter said it is difficult to find the main culprit, because everyone doing business around Jalloh shop denied ever seeing the child passing when in fact, it was impossible not to have seen the child pass on a broad street like that.
The grandmother is calling for the government to investigate to bring the culprit to book for the brutal rape and murder of her grand baby.
"What did that lil child do to them, for them to rape her and break her neck like that? I mean we looked everywhere, including the abandoned septic tank and the unfinished buildings, that we stayed up outside waiting and thinking maybe she had lost the money and was scared to come home. I cannot say we have neighbors, because our neighbors never came around when we were looking for the child, even when her body was found in the septic tank, they did not come around, but God is not sleeping," said grandmother Helena Paye.
The latest victim is not the only under aged victim who has died as a result of rape. In December 2021, a 13-year-old girl bled to death after being raped in Gbapoplu County, while a 14-year-old girl in Montserrado was raped and later died in January 2022, which led to women groups protesting in front of the Capitol Building demanding justice.
MONROVIA - Parents of the seven-year-old little girl who was allegedly raped and killed by some unknown person(s) on July 23rd, 2022, in the Nimba United Community, Mount Barclay, are still waiting for justice as it relates to the brutal murder of their child.
The seven-year-old's body was discovered floating in an abandoned septic tank, a few feet behind a 'Jalloh Shop' during the early morning hours of July 24. The child's unbloated body was removed from the septic tank by the police and it was established she had been raped and her neck broken.
According to the victim's grandmother, when they called the police on the scene where the body was discovered, the police said they did not have a vehicle to collect people of interest, but they requested for money to purchase four gallons of gasoline for which she only provided money for three gallons.
"The police came and carried a few persons of interest for questioning, and some of the people who the police carried are back in the community because we hear their lawyer stood for them, but since then we have not heard anything from the police yet," the grandma said.
When contacted, Press and Public Affairs Officer Moses Carter, on the allegation of the people of interest being released from police custody; he said it was true, because their lawyers stood for them, until a probable cause can be established.
"It was established by a medical person that the child had been raped or tampered with before she was murdered. But you know rape is a very sensitive matter. We cannot keep the people of interest beyond 48 hours, so their lawyers stood for them until we can conclude the investigation and if need be we will call them back," Carter said.
When asked about the police alleged extortion, he said police officers who are accused, usually deny taking money from victims, but said it is very wrong for the police to take money from distressed citizens.
The grandmother who still sees the disappearance and death of her grandchild a mystery narrated how her daughter and husband usually brought their kids to her place when they are leaving for work and picked them up when they return in the evening, and Saturday July 23rd was no different.
"It was around four in the afternoon when my grandson toilet in his pamper and I did not see the pamper the mother left beside the smaller ones, so I gave Ma Hawa a L$100 and told her to run right to Jalloh shop to buy one pamper. But after a while when I could not see her coming, I put the baby in the tub and told her sister to look at the baby while I went to look for Ma Hawa, who I say I was going to beat for wasting time. But when I reached to Jallah shop right over there, he was not in his shop, so I kept knocking and a lady passing told me, maybe he is inside praying, so this is why he is not answering you. When I left Jalloh shop, I asked at the carpenter shop, the block factory and small business people selling on the road near Jalloh shop, if they saw my granddaughter, but they told me no. I was surprised that nobody saw the child walking on the road, when they all were sitting near the same road when the child passed," she said.
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Regarding the grandmother's concern of neighbors denying of not seeing the child, Carter said it is difficult to find the main culprit, because everyone doing business around Jalloh shop denied ever seeing the child passing when in fact, it was impossible not to have seen the child pass on a broad street like that.
The grandmother is calling for the government to investigate to bring the culprit to book for the brutal rape and murder of her grand baby.
"What did that lil child do to them, for them to rape her and break her neck like that? I mean we looked everywhere, including the abandoned septic tank and the unfinished buildings, that we stayed up outside waiting and thinking maybe she had lost the money and was scared to come home. I cannot say we have neighbors, because our neighbors never came around when we were looking for the child, even when her body was found in the septic tank, they did not come around, but God is not sleeping," said grandmother Helena Paye.
The latest victim is not the only under aged victim who has died as a result of rape. In December 2021, a 13-year-old girl bled to death after being raped in Gbapoplu County, while a 14-year-old girl in Montserrado was raped and later died in January 2022, which led to women groups protesting in front of the Capitol Building demanding justice.
In January 2019, an 11-year-old girl was raped to death in Nimba County, among others, instances not mentioned.
