A mortuary attendant in Oghara, Delta State, has been arrested by the police over the missing corpse of a 58-year-old woman, Mrs Patience Amughoro.
The deceased woman was said to have died late last year after a brief illness and her corpse kept in a private hospital mortuary at Oghara, while the family prepared for burial.
Sources said the family was stunned when, on Saturday morning after all preparations had been put in place, they arrived at the mortuary only to discover that the body was missing.
A family member, who identified himself only as Okiemute, said the mortician had earlier presented a body to the family and on close observation, they found out it was not that of Mrs Amughoro.
“That was when he (morgue attendant) began pacing up and down, looking for the body. That was when he told us that the body was missing.
“We were shocked. We had made arrangements to give our auntie a good send-forth. It hurts that we don’t have her body,” Okiemute said.
He noted that the family later reported the incident to the police.
Another family member, who did not want his name in print, wondered how the body disappeared from the mortuary.
“The disappearance of her body is tormenting my family. I have never heard of a corpse developing legs and leaving a mortuary,” he added.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, confirmed the incident.
She said the attendant was in detention, adding that investigation was ongoing.
