Man allegedly kills, buries wife

Police have exhumed the remains of a woman allegedly killed by her husband of 17 years and buried in an uncompleted building near his residence.

The suspect, John Tetteh Korley, alias Yekani, 46, described by the police as a landguard and welder, led the police to the uncompleted building at Adjei Kojo Solomon City, near Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region for the exhumation.

Korley is said to have had a domestic feud with his wife, Felicia Teye, forcing the woman to go to her parents’ home at Manyakpogunor, a suburb of Odumase-Krobo in the Eastern Region.

On Sunday, March 29, 2020, Korley is said to have lured his wife to return to their home after he allegedly claimed he would not be able to take care of their three children all alone during the restriction of movement period.

Missing person case

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the District Commander of the Adjei Kojo District Police Command, Chief Superintendent of Police, Mrs Sussana Adjei, said when Felicia arrived, her husband informed her that he had sent the children to his mother in Kwahu, in the Eastern Region, to take care of them.

Felicia is said to have informed some neighbours that she was baffled by her husband’s actions since he had personally sent her money through mobile money to cover her transportation cost from Manyakpogunor to Adjei Kojo, to enable her to take the children, who were on break from school, to Manyakpogunor.

Felicia’s family, who could not reach her on her mobile phone, got worried and on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, her brother was sent by the family to follow up on her whereabouts.

Mrs Adjei said when the brother of Felicia (name withheld by the police) arrived and enquired from Korley about the whereabouts of his sister, Korley claimed she visited him but later left with some friends.

She said Korley then walked out on him. Consequently, the brother reported a case of a missing person to the police on Tuesday, March 31, 2020, and in the course of investigations it was found out that Korley might know the whereabouts of his wife.

However, the police could not trace Korley until the next day when they had a hint that he was on admission at the Tema General Hospital after claiming he was suffering from stomach ache, but the hospital released him to the police since they could not find any trace of illness in him.

Foul smell

Mrs Adjei said the police took Korley to the house where he lived with his wife as part of investigations.

She said during a search of the entire place, the police team noticed that a foundation of a room close to the house, had been covered with stone chippings and had houseflies hovering all over.

When the police went closer, she said they were greeted with a foul smell from the spot.

With the help of some neighbours, the police dug the place and found a decomposed body, which was later identified as that of Felicia.

Just as the police pulled out the body from the pit, she said, Korley started wailing and told them that he had buried the body of his wife after she died when he pushed her and she fell.

 Meanwhile, the police said they were looking into how Korley dug a pit in the foundation, put his wife’s body in it and covered it with the chippings all by himself. “He must have been assisted by someone or some persons. We are trying to find that out," said Mrs Adjei.

The body of Felicia, which was taken to the Tema General Hospital, has since been conveyed to the Police Hospital for autopsy.