The Homicide Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has arrested a 25-year-old fetish priest and herbalist in connection with the murder of a 40-year-old trader whose mutilated body was discovered in the Central Region.

The suspect was arrested over the killing of Joyce Akua Ampongmaa, a trader from Akweley Kasoa, whose body was found in a bush at Awutu Bentum.

Briefing the media on Tuesday, May 12, on major criminal investigation breakthroughs, the Director-General of the CID, Lydia Yaako Donkor, said police received a report on March 10, 2026, from the Safohene of Awutu Bentum regarding the discovery of a mutilated female body on the outskirts of the town.

Police officers who proceeded to the scene found the body with the head and both legs severed.

“The remains were conveyed to the Police Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy, after which the deceased was identified as Joyce Akua Ampongmaa,” COP Donkor stated.

Investigations later revealed that the deceased had previously sought herbal treatment from the suspect in 2025 over a swollen leg condition.

Police say she visited the suspect again on March 4, 2026, seeking spiritual assistance for the protection of her business.

According to the CID Director-General, the suspect allegedly lured the deceased into a nearby bush under the pretext of gathering herbs after consultations at his shrine.

“He attacked her from behind with a cutlass, killed her, dismembered the body, and concealed the remains in the bush before taking parts away,” COP Donkor disclosed.

During interrogation, the suspect reportedly admitted to the crime and told investigators he had buried the deceased’s head at Mafi Avedo in the Volta Region and the legs at his residence in Awutu Bentum.

The suspect was arraigned before the Adabraka District Court on March 13, 2026, and remanded into police custody.

Police subsequently secured an ex parte order from the court to exhume the buried body parts.

On March 17, the suspect reportedly led investigators to Mafi Avedo, where the deceased’s head was exhumed and transported to the Police Hospital mortuary.

A day later, he also led police officers to the crime scene at Awutu Bentum for a reconstruction exercise and to locations where he allegedly buried the deceased’s legs and dumped her destroyed mobile phones.

“At the crime scene located approximately 0.5 kilometres from Awutu Bentum on a cassava farm, the suspect identified the exact spot where he attacked the deceased, where he deposited the body, and a pit where he claimed to have buried blood-stained items,” COP Donkor explained.

Police also recovered the deceased’s legs from the suspect’s residence, while destroyed mobile phones were retrieved from a nearby bush and a latrine.

The CID further disclosed that members of the community had demolished the suspect’s shrine and residence following the incident, affecting efforts to retrieve the suspected murder weapon and other exhibits.

All recovered body parts have since been deposited at the Police Hospital mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while investigations continue.