Woman Found Dead in Lavington House Nearly a Month After She Was Last Seen

A 32-year-old woman was found dead inside her house in Lavington, Nairobi, nearly a month after neighbours last saw her.

The decomposed body of Mercy Maina Wachinga was discovered at For Homes Apartments on Wednesday, September 3, after a foul smell from the building raised concern among residents and management.

Mercy had reportedly been last seen in early August while interacting with people at the apartment complex, with her prolonged absence only becoming apparent after days of silence.

Foul Smell Raises Alarm

Pamela Awino, a cleaner at For Homes Apartments, said she first noticed an unusual smell while cleaning the building in August.

“It was in August when I was cleaning the corridors, starting from the rooftop. When I reached the 10th floor, I noticed a smell, but it was not a pleasant one.”

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The smell prompted management to establish where it was coming from, with manager Musa Kombo saying he received a report from a tenant on Wednesday, August 12.

Kombo said he went around the building asking residents to open their houses so he could establish the source of the smell, but Mercy did not respond when he knocked on her door.

He also tried calling her phone without success before contacting the apartment’s landlord to find out whether he had received any communication from her.

“I called the landlord again and told him that one of our tenants had called to say they had noticed a strange smell. We had to take action because I suspected the smell was coming from that house where the deceased lived.”

Days later, Kombo reported the matter at Muthang’ari Police Station on September 3.

Police officers arrived at the apartment, broke down the door and found Mercy ‘s body lying on her bed in an advanced state of decomposition.

Kombo said the condition of the body was so severe that she could no longer be recognised.

“When we opened the other room, that is when we found her lying on the bed, facing down. Her body was badly decomposed and she could no longer be recognised.”

Note Reveals Her Final Wishes

Mercy is alleged to have taken her own life and left behind a note outlining her final wishes.

In the message, she urged people not to judge others and instead called for greater love and understanding.

She also thanked her landlord for being patient with her whenever she struggled to pay rent and asked that her belongings be handed over to her mother.

Mercy had hoped to build a house for her mother and specifically requested that her belongings be given to her.

She also expressed a preference for how her remains should be handled, asking not to be given a traditional burial. She instead wished to be cremated or have her remains thrown into a river, saying she loved rivers.

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Her mother, Grace Nderitu, said the message was difficult to reconcile with the daughter she knew saying she had spoken to her daughter at the beginning of August but had not noticed anything that suggested she was struggling.

“She was a good child, talkative and kind-hearted. She loved his mother and all his siblings.”

Nderitu said the family was still consulting on the best way to give Mercy a send-off after her sudden death.

Mercy ‘s neighbours also remembered her as a warm and generous person, with some recalling that she had been giving gifts to children the last time they saw her.

She had also left behind her cat, asking that it be welcomed and cared for after her departure.

The discovery has left residents grappling with the fact that Mercy had been dead inside her home for weeks before anyone realised what had happened.

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For Homes Apartments. PHOTO/ CPK REAL ESTATE