Police in the Northern Region are treating the deaths of three children found in the trunk of a vehicle as a murder case after a preliminary autopsy indicated that they did not die of natural causes.

The children — Dauda Abdul Aziz, 3, Saani Alsharaf, 5, and Dauda Fadilan, 7 — were found dead in the boot of a black Hyundai Tucson at Koblimahagu Zoo in the Tamale Metropolis on Monday morning.

The children had reportedly left home on Sunday to attend Islamic classes but failed to return.

According to JoyNews sources, preliminary findings from the autopsy indicate that the children may have been murdered.

However, a toxicological examination is still required to establish the circumstances and possible cause of their deaths.

“The autopsy revealed they did not die a natural death,” a source familiar with the investigation said.

“There is a need for toxicological examination to be conducted to fully establish the facts,” the source added.

The development marks a major turn in the investigation, which has generated widespread concern in the Northern Region.

The children were found in a black Hyundai Tucson with registration number AS 1770-14.

Police said the vehicle was found stuck in mud, with the driver’s door and rear passenger door open, while the boot and other doors were locked.

The owner of the vehicle, a member of the Ghana Immigration Service, has been arrested and transported to Accra to assist with investigations.

The officer reportedly told police that the vehicle had been stuck for five days.

Police have secured the vehicle for further forensic examination as investigators work to establish what happened to the children and how they ended up inside the boot.

The Inspector-General of Police has deployed forensic and crime scene experts to Tamale to support the investigation.

Homicide investigators and intelligence officers have also been dispatched to assist the Northern Regional Police Command.

The teams are expected to examine the vehicle and other evidence at the scene as investigators work to establish the circumstances surrounding the children’s deaths.

The preliminary autopsy findings have ruled out natural death, but authorities are awaiting toxicological results to provide further clarity on the cause of death.

Investigations remain ongoing.