Shock and grief have gripped residents of Mugogo 1 Village, Mugogo Parish, Ryeru Subcounty in Rubirizi District following the gruesome recovery of a 5-year-old student’s body. Tumusiime Elvis, a baby class student at Mugogo Primary School, was found dead, his body dumped in a sack near the bank of a river.
According to police, Tumusiime’s body was recovered on the morning of February 25, 2025, by a group of three men who had gone to cut timber at the lake shores.
“One of the men stumbled upon a white sack covered in flies, which contained the lifeless body of the young student,” said Martial Tumusiime, the Greater Bushenyi Police spokesperson.
Tumusiime had left his grandmother’s home, where he resided, on February 24, 2025, at around 8:00 AM, heading to school alone, as was his daily routine. However, he never arrived at school, which is approximately half a kilometer from his home. His grandmother, who had been waiting for his return, grew concerned when he failed to come back. She rushed to the school, only to be informed that Tumusiime had not attended classes that day. A search of the neighborhood yielded nothing, prompting her to report the incident to the police.
Preliminary investigations by the police reveal that Tumusiime’s body was found with a deep cut on the neck, and his right ear and tongue had been removed. The sack containing his body was partially submerged in the water, suggesting that he had been murdered elsewhere and then dumped in the river.
Martial Tumusiime stated that a team of detectives had been assigned to the case. “We have launched an investigation into Tumusiime’s murder, and we urge anyone with information to come forward and assist us in bringing the perpetrators to justice,” he said.
The body of the deceased has been taken to Rugazi Health Centre IV for postmortem as inquiries into the matter continue.
