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Victor Maphosa Herald Reporter

Skulls and bones were recovered from the toilet of Tapiwa Makore (Senior) in Murehwa over the weekend as police intensify their hunt for the missing skull and other remains of his seven-year-old nephew Tapiwa Makore (Junior) who was murdered for suspected ritual purposes.

All the recovered remains have been sent for forensic tests to determine if they are of human or animal origin and if there is any link to the murdered boy.

Also recovered from Makore (Snr)’s house in Nyamutumbu Village was a blood-stained tail of a yet to be identified animal.

Makore (Snr) is in remand prison awaiting trial after he was arrested in September on charges of murdering his brother’s child with the help of his herdsman, Tafadzwa Shamba, who is also remanded in custody and has reportedly confessed to being involved.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said yesterday that on Saturday police hired excavators and graders and dug into the toilet.

“They recovered multiple bones and skulls. We are yet to know whether they are human bones and human skulls or if they belong to animals.

“The bones and skulls have been sent for forensic examination. Also recovered was a small tail which was in his house. It was blood-stained. All were sent for forensic examination.

“At the moment, we are not yet linking all these to the boy’s missing body parts. We are waiting for the forensic tests,” Ass Comm Nyathi said.

Recent police investigations into the boy’s ritual murder found that an 11-year-old boy also from Nyamutumbu Village was allegedly paid US$5 to lure the seven-year-old from his parents’ garden to his uncle’s homestead.

The uncle, Tapiwa Makore (Snr), allegedly gave the boy US$5 plus a T-shirt for the role he played, before warning him against disclosing the matter to anyone.

The boy allegedly handed over the money to his mother who kept the secret.

Recently, Makore (Snr)’s brother, Thanks Makore, was arrested in connection with the murder of Makore (Jnr), on allegations that he was given the boy’s head and arms. Police extensively searched Thanks Makore’s house in Damofalls, Ruwa, although they reportedly found no remains.

He has since appeared before a Mutoko magistrate, who remanded him in custody.

The two brothers and three other suspects are in remand prison pending the completion of investigations and the probable murder trial.