Residents of Nsuaem Number 2 in the Bosome Freho District of the Ashanti Region woke up Sunday morning to the disheartening news of a 23-year-old woman, believed to be pregnant, having been callously murdered.

The deceased, identified only as Mavis, a mother of three, was found lying in a thick bush in a cocoa farm with her head severed, barely a day after she was declared missing.The police at Asiwa, capital of the district, had since apprehended one Kwame Michael, believed to be 23 years old, as the prime suspect.

The cruel murder of Mavis is said to have incensed the youth of Nsuaem who had reportedly threatened to lynch Kwame Michael, should they lay their hands on him. Security is said to have been beefed up in the area to prevent any mayhem.

DCE of Bosome Freho, Kwame Adarkwa, told DAILY GUIDE that Kwame Michael and Mavis stayed in the same house at Nsuaem peacefully until the sad news erupted.

According to him, on Saturday Michael’s mother sent both Mavis and Kwame Michael to her farm to bring cocoa seedlings home but after several hours in the farm Michael returned home alone. Attempts by the people to locate Mavis proved futile as he insisted that he didn’t know the whereabouts of the young woman.

Mr Adarkwa said the matter was reported to the police who arrested Michael for questioning, but they later released him after a fetish priest in the town had claimed that Michael was innocent because some dwarfs had taken away the lady.

On Sunday morning, the DCE noted, the townsfolk were not convinced so they sent a search team to the cocoa farm where to their horror, they found the lifeless body of Mavis, lying under a big tree with her head chopped off.

The DCE said Mavis’ mobile phone, hat and footwear were also found about 50 meters away from where her lifeless body was found, heightening suspicion that the deceased struggled with her killer.

He said by the time Mavis’ body was found, Michael had left Nsuaem and headed to Krotikrom, perhaps to seek refuge, but an alarm was raised and he was arrested immediately.

Adarkwa said the people of Nsuaem and the surrounding towns, upon hearing of the arrest of Michael, tried to lynch him “so I rushed there, put him in my car and drove him to the Asiwa Police Station to prevent any calamity.”