The police forensic team will begin taking DNA samples of the four missing Takoraid girls from their family members girls Wednesday, following the discovery of some four sets of human remains recently.

The team will then prepare the samples and begin the process to establish the relationship or otherwise between the human remains found close to the former home of the prime suspect, Samuel Udoetuk-Willis and the DNA samples obtained from the family of the girls.

The start of the DNA testing today follows a visit to the families by the Acting Inspector General of Police James Oppong-Boanuh on Tuesday, August 13.

Police had earlier visited the families on August 3 where the idea of the DNA testing was discussed.

This is major breakthrough in efforts to find the missing girls.

The DNA testing is expected to be completed within 14 days.

The families of the missing girls had objected to the DNA testing, insisting the analysis must be conducted at an independent forensic laboratory but they subsequently made a U-turn.

Director-General of the Public Affairs Unit of the Ghana Police Service, ACP David Eklu, said the visit by the delegation led by the acting IGP to the families of the missing girls was positive.

“The families were reassured about the IGP’s personal presence and they indicated the presence of the IGP has boosted their confidence to participate in the process. We have to look at the various angles of the investigation.

“For now we are treading cautiously. The case is still open until we finish the process of going through the DNA analysis to confirm whether those remains are those of the four girls who went missing,” he said.

Background

Ruth Quayson, Priscilla Blessing Bentum and Priscilla Koranchie and Ruth Abaka, are believed to have been kidnapped between July 2018 and January 2019 and have since not been found.

Samuel Udoetuk-Wills, the key suspected, was jailed recently but is still facing other charges before the Sekondi High Court after he escaped from jail in December 2018 following his first arrest.

Last Friday, Police retrieved human parts from the septic tank of his apartment with suspicion these could be the missing girls.