A 16-year-old girl, Deborah Dede Ama, who went missing on Valentine’s Day, February 14, has been found dead in a stream near her home at Tinkong in the Eastern Region.
According to family sources, Deborah left home on the evening of February 14 to attend a Valentine’s Day party in the Tinkong township while her mother was away. She never returned, prompting family members to raise the alarm.
According to a GNA report, her lifeless body was discovered on Tuesday in a stream close to the family house. Family member Kofi Sammy told journalists that the teenager’s body was found naked and in an advanced state of decomposition, with visible marks on her body that have led to suspicions of foul play.
Residents in the community believe Deborah may have been sexually assaulted before being killed by unknown persons.
Police officers from the Adawso Police Station responded to the scene, retrieved the body, and conveyed it to the mortuary for preservation and autopsy. Investigations into the circumstances surrounding her death have commenced.
The mother of the deceased was reportedly inconsolable upon learning of the tragic discovery. Family members and sympathisers who gathered at the residence on Wednesday expressed deep shock and grief over what many have described as a gruesome killing.
The Assembly Member for Tinkong, Samuel Abochie, described the incident as devastating and called on the Ghana Police Service to conduct a thorough and swift investigation to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.