For the third time in two months, shock and fear have gripped residents of Dagombaline, a suburb of Ejura in the Ashanti Region, following the death of another missing child. This latest incident involves a three-year-old boy, Roland Alale, who was found dead early Monday morning.

The child’s lifeless body was discovered around 6:00 a.m. on Monday, January 19, 2026, in an abandoned shop at Dagombaline, close to where he was reported missing the previous day.

According to information from the Ejura Sekyedumase Municipal Assembly NADMO officials, Roland went missing on Sunday afternoon around 2:30 p.m. after he followed his mother to her hairdressing shop in the same area.

His father, James Alale, said the family became worried when the boy could not be found later in the day. Relatives and neighbours searched throughout Sunday night, moving through homes, shops, and nearby open spaces.

“We looked everywhere we could think of. We even went on the radio to ask for help, but we could not find him,” James said.

Despite announcements on local radio stations, the search yielded no results. The next morning, James and his wife decided to take different routes to continue the search.

James said he later received a call from a friend asking him to return to Dagombaline. “I was scared when I heard noise in the background of the call,” he said.

When he arrived, James found a crowd gathered near the abandoned shop. There, he saw the lifeless body of his son at a place the family said they had already searched thoroughly the previous day.

Residents who witnessed the scene described it as heartbreaking. “He just stood there in shock. It was very sad,” one resident said.

The police conveyed Roland’s body to the Ejura Government Hospital for examination. A medical officer at the hospital recommended that the body be sent to the Mampong Government Hospital for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

However, the family declined the request and asked that the body be released to them for burial. After writing a formal letter, the request was granted, and the body was released to the family.

The father suspects foul play and believes his son may have been murdered. “We searched this place yesterday. He was not there. This morning, his body was there, and he was very dirty, like someone kept him in a sack,” James alleged.

The incident has heightened fear in the community, as it marks the third reported case of a missing child later found dead in Dagombaline within a short period.

“It has been about three months since the last incident,” said Mohammed Hardi, the Assembly Member for the Dagombaline area. He explained that the first case involved a five-year-old girl, Razikatu Alhassan, on December 10, 2025, while the second was a four-year-old Amama Gadafi who went missing on January 1, 2026, at his father's farm and was later found dead onJanuary 5, 2026.

He said relevant authorities have been informed and described the situation as sensitive and a major security concern.

Following the incident, the Member of Parliament for Ejura Sekyedumase, Bawa Muhammed Braimah, together with the Municipal Chief Executive, Rabiu Adam Seidu, visited the bereaved family to express their condolences.

Mr Braimah described the incident as shocking and painful. “This is very disturbing. I ask the family to take heart and trust God. We hope the truth will come out and those responsible will face the law,” he said.

The repeated deaths have left residents worried and demanding urgent action to protect children and restore safety in the community.