Teen Hits 53-Year-Old Woman With Log, Rapes Her As She Lay Dying

KEY POINTS

The suspect saw the victim walking alone and hit her on the head with a log
He then stole $118 from her and fled the scene
The teenager was taken into custody Sunday

A 16-year-old boy in Zimbabwe was taken into custody in connection with the rape and murder of a 53-year-old woman.

The suspect saw the victim walking alone and hit her on the head with a log. As she lay dying, bleeding profusely from the head, the teen raped her before stealing R1,700 ($118) from her and fleeing the scene. The incident took place in the town of Beitbridge East on Friday morning, local news outlet The Herald reported.

A few hours later, the victim’s elder sister, who was returning home after grazing her cattle, found her lying in a pool of blood on a footpath. The woman immediately informed the other residents who called the police.

The officers found the body lying face down with several deep cuts on the head. A bloodied log was also found beside the victim’s body and the police said there was evidence of some struggle meters away from where the corpse was found.

Following a search, the teen was traced and taken into custody Sunday.

“We managed to arrest him with the assistance of community members and from the stolen money, we recovered R 1540 ( $108). The matter is now under investigation,” Beitbridge district Chief Superintendent Tichaona Nyongo said, I Harare reported.

It remained unclear if the teen has been charged in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, the victim’s body was taken to a local hospital for an autopsy.

In a similar incident in England last week, a 14-year-old boy was taken into custody for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl. The girl was walking on an open land when the suspect approached her. He then dragged her into the nearby bushes and raped her before fleeing the scene. Following a search, the teen, who was last seen wearing a black face mask and black outlet, was traced and taken into custody. He was released on bail the following day. The police confirmed there was no threat to the public, but said that there would be a police presence in the area for a few days. Meanwhile, the victim was receiving specialist care.