Amuru, Uganda: Two four-year-old boys who had been missing for nearly a week have been found dead in a bush area recently scorched by wildfire in Guru Guru Sub-county, deepening grief and anxiety in Amuru District.
The bodies of Kizitu Deogratius and Odong Daniel were discovered on Wednesday evening in Aguny Village, Amora Parish, about eight kilometres from their homes in Gira Gira Village, Opok Parish.
According to Guru Guru Sub-county LCIII Chairperson Komakech Patrick Kibwota, he received a report at around 8:00 pm that the bodies had been found in an area that had earlier been affected by a bushfire.
“One body was discovered by children who had gone to look for Oceyo (Afromomum fruits), and another was found about 20 metres away by women collecting firewood,” Komakech told DailyExpress in a phone interview.
The two minors, both aged four, reportedly went missing on February 6 at around 10:00 am while playing together near their homes. Their disappearance triggered a community search, and police at Guru Guru Sub-county were notified. However, initial efforts to trace them were unsuccessful.
An eyewitness, Okema Simon, said there were indications that the children may have died before the wildfire swept through the area.
“The grass where the bodies were found was not completely burned. Only the parts of the bodies facing upward appeared affected by the fire,” he observed.
Police later retrieved the bodies and transported them to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem examinations to establish the exact cause of death before handing them over to the families for burial.
Amuru District Police Commander Alfred Baluku confirmed the incident, stating that a homicide team led by the Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations had been dispatched to the scene.
“Investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths,” Baluku said.
The tragic discovery has left residents of Guru Guru Sub-county in shock, with local leaders urging calm as police continue their probe into whether the deaths were accidental or the result of foul play.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
