Campbell arrived in Kenya on 15 February 2025 to attend an international IT conference and was booked at the JW Marriott Hotel in Nairobi’s Westlands suburb. Three other foreign nationals, also attending the conference, arrived on 16 February 2025 and were booked into the same hotel. According to police reports, two of them were scheduled to check out on 21 February 2025, while Campbell’s check-out date was listed as 20 February 2025.
Hotel records indicate that he was staying in a room costing 265 US dollars per night. Police investigators allege that Campbell was lured to his death by a suspect identified only as “Edu” via an internet-based dating site, and was killed after allegedly refusing to pay for unspecified services inside an apartment in Nairobi’s Pipeline Estate.
Campbell’s mutilated and decomposing body was later discovered by the roadside, stuffed into a gunny bag among pineapples, in Makongo Forest, Makueni County, approximately 140 kilometres south of Nairobi.
Alex Mutua Kithuka has been charged with Campbell’s murder, and a ruling to determine whether he will be released on bond pending trial is awaited. Several of his alleged co-conspirators have not yet been apprehended.
Due to the advanced state of decomposition, investigators were unable to establish the cause or manner of death from the body alone. Various items were retrieved from his clothing, among them a Viagra tablet, police claim.
When the pathologist examined the deceased’s cardiovascular system, he discovered an implant in one of the heart vessels. The report states in part: “… a metallic stent found in the left anterior descending coronary artery.”
The stent was reported to be 1.5 centimetres in length. Stents are commonly used in the heart to keep vessels such as coronary arteries open. Typically, a stent is a small, mesh tube inserted into a narrowed or blocked artery or other passage in the body to maintain patency.
An external examination revealed severe decomposition, with maggots found on the corpse. A green nylon cord was tied around the right ankle. Most of the skin had peeled off, except for the feet and some fingers. The body displayed signs of contusion to the skin and muscle.
Pathologists also observed anomalies to the right ear and left eye, reporting “cannibalisation of the right ear and left eye”, suggesting human consumption of flesh from those parts.
The affidavit sworn by the investigating officer does not include details of the alleged dating site or Campbell’s sexual orientation. However, police allege that “Edu” picked up Campbell from his hotel on 16 February 2025 and took him to the sixth floor of an apartment in Pipeline Estate, reportedly rented by the accused.
According to neighbours interviewed by police, three other young men, described as the accused’s “frequent guests”, were present in the apartment. What transpired inside the apartment remains unclear or undisclosed. However, police allege that trouble began when the accused and his friends demanded payment for unspecified services. “… once the deceased entered the said house, the accused, together with his four friends, demanded payment for the use of his apartment and other services.
… when the deceased refused to comply, the accused and his friends locked the door from inside, thereby restraining the deceased from exiting the premises.” The affidavit states that the accused left the apartment to procure two manila strings and two gunny bags. What happened thereafter is not detailed, but Sergeant Kilonzo alleges that in February, the accused suddenly vacated the premises without notifying the caretaker.
It remains unclear how the four individuals exited, whether they left with Campbell alive, deceased, or left him inside. The affidavit alleges that Campbell’s bank cards remained active and were used in Nairobi, Voi, and Mombasa to withdraw large sums of money, including from an account held at Diamond Trust Bank.
There is no record of Campbell’s whereabouts from the time he entered the accused’s apartment until 21 February 2025, when his remains were discovered through the efforts of local chief Francis Mongela Kanyaa.
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