Police in the Northern Region are treating the deaths of three children found in the boot of a car in Tamale as murder, after a preliminary autopsy indicated they did not die of natural causes, according to MyJoyOnline and Class FM.
The children, aged between three and seven, left home for Islamic classes at about 8am on Sunday, October 4, and did not return, the Northern Regional Police Command said in a statement. Community members searched for them until about 5am on Monday, October 5, when their bodies were found in the boot of a black Hyundai Tucson at Koblimahagu Zoo in the Tamale Metropolis.
Police said the vehicle was stuck in mud. The driver's door and the rear passenger door behind it were open, while the other doors, including the boot, were locked. The vehicle belongs to an officer of the Ghana Immigration Service, who told police it had been stuck there for five days. He was arrested and taken to Accra to assist the investigation, the statement said.
The Inspector-General of Police has deployed homicide investigators, crime scene experts and intelligence officers to support the regional command, and the vehicle has been secured for forensic examination. A source familiar with the investigation told JoyNews that toxicology tests are still needed to establish how the children died.
On Tuesday, investigators met family and community members and took statements, JoyNews reported. The meeting was attended by the Northern Regional Police Commander and the regional commander of the Ghana Immigration Service. Police have urged the public to remain calm while investigations continue.