A suspect implicated in the fatal shooting of a wildlife officer at the Kalakpa Forest Reserve in the Ho West District has been discovered dead in police custody at Abutia Kloe.
The Assembly Member for the Abutia Kloe Electoral Area, Fredrick Tengey, revealed that the suspect was found lifeless in the police cell, with preliminary indications pointing to suicide. Police officials have yet to comment on the matter, but the family of the deceased officer has been notified.
This development comes just days after the January 6, 2026, incident where 28-year-old wildlife officer Raphael Ganyo was gunned down during an early morning patrol near the Zitoe Camp in the reserve. According to the Forestry Commission, Ganyo was part of a team investigating suspected poaching when they confronted an armed intruder at the reserve’s boundary.
In a statement, Tengey shared: “I received a call from the family of Raphael Ganyo, who was shot in the reserve. According to them, the suspect has hanged himself and died in the cell. They confirmed the dead body in the cell, but I have yet to confirm from the district commander.”
The suspect had been detained pending further investigations into the killing.