The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has revealed fresh details in the investigation into the death of Kenya Forest Service (KFS) Legal Services Manager Esther Wairimu Keige.
DCI is saying it has not ruled out homicide as they await forensic and toxicology results.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the agency said investigators are pursuing all possible leads to establish the circumstances surrounding Keige's death, insisting the probe remains active and evidence-driven.
According to the DCI, Keige was reported missing on June 10 after her driver dropped her at a petrol station in Juja, where she had reportedly planned to enquire about gym services.
The driver waited for her at the station, but she never returned, prompting a missing person report and the launch of an extensive search.
The DCI said detectives deployed multiple investigative teams and worked alongside partner security agencies to trace her movements.
The investigation included the review of CCTV footage, forensic examinations, witness interviews, intelligence-led operations, mobile phone data analysis and searches across several locations.
Officers combed areas including Kenyatta Road, Gatundu, Darugo, Mang'u, the Murram area, Stage Four and neighbouring locations. Detectives also visited hospitals and mortuaries in the region in an effort to establish whether she had been admitted or identified among unknown persons.
The agency further disclosed that investigations established Keige had been battling depression and was undergoing treatment.
Detectives also found that she had previously disappeared from home on three separate occasions before returning safely.
The breakthrough came on July 6 when the decomposed body of an unidentified woman was discovered inside a makeshift shelter in a bush in Juja, about seven kilometres west of Juja Police Station.
Senior police officers and crime scene investigators processed the scene before the body was moved to the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital Funeral Home.
The body was later positively identified by Keige's sister.
According to the DCI, detectives recovered Keige's mobile phone at the scene. The phone was intact but switched off, while her shoes had been removed and placed beside the body.
A post-mortem examination did not reveal any external physical injuries suggestive of an assault.
However, pathologists were unable to determine the exact cause of death because the body was in an advanced state of decomposition.
The DCI said samples have since been collected for comprehensive toxicological and other forensic analyses to establish both the cause and manner of death.
Despite the preliminary findings, the agency said homicide remains one of the possibilities under investigation.
"The DCI maintains that investigations remain active and homicide has not been ruled out," the statement said.
The agency appealed to anyone with information about Keige's movements between June 10 and July 6 to report to the nearest police station or contact the DCI through its toll-free hotline or WhatsApp platform.
It assured the public that any information received would be treated in strict confidence as detectives continue what it described as a thorough, impartial and evidence-led investigation.
