Missing Girl, 3, Found Dead

The police are investigating the death of a three-year-old child, Akosua Ataa, whose body was found in a backyard garden near her home at Abrepo, a Kumasi suburb, three days after she went missing. Although neighbours suspected ritual murder, the police said evidence gathered so far did not lead to that.The neighbours claimed the remains of the girl had the tongue missing, while cotton wool had been pushed into her genitals. The police, however, discounted the claim, saying all the body parts were intact.The Suame District Police Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police Kwaku Duah, told the Daily Graphic, "By what we saw, we will for now rule out ritual murder." However, he said, the remains had been sent for autopsy at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to determine the cause of death. According to the neighbours, the little girl and her twin brother were playing around their house last Friday when a car pulled out and the occupant called the girl.The twin brother, they said, ran home to inform the parents, but all attempts to trace the little girl proved futile. Last Sunday morning, a woman found the little girl�s body in the garden and raised an alarm.Residents identified the remains as Ataa�s and the police were consequently informed.