Update: Kids' bodies decomposing in morgue

The bodies of the three children, who were found dead in an abandoned car at Alogboshie, Achimota in Accra, on February 21, are reported to be decomposing at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital mortuary.

Mr Samuel Anane, spokesperson for the bereaved families, told the Times in Accra yesterday that the bodies of the children had been in the mortuary close to a month and this had created anxiety among family members.

He said on hearing that the bodies were decomposing they wanted to arrange for their embalmment but later decided against that because it might interfere with the investigations.

Mr Anane said it was the wish of the families to give the children a befitting burial to enable them to focus on other matters.

The children, who were identified as Gabriel Kofi and. Edem Asimenu both two and half years, and Kobby Ananfu, two, were found dead in one of the several abandoned vehicles, Nissan Premera, GR3656R, in the house of an Accra Businessman Samuel Kwame Agugdze, several hours after they had left home.

Accra Regional Police Crime Officer, Superintendent Denis Abade, told the Times that even if the bodies were released to the families, they could not be buried because they will need a burial certificate which has to be issued after the cause of death has been established.

He noted that specimen of the contents of the stomach of the children had been sent to the Ghana Standards Board for toxicological examination without which the pathologist cannot write his report.

The report then has to be forwarded to the magistrate court for burial permit to be issued.

He, therefore, appealed to the families to exercise patience and await the findings on the cause of death.

The authorities of both the Korle-Bu mortuary and the GSB could not be reached for their comments on the matter.