Woman Arrested After 7-Year-Old Stepson Found Dead in Dokolo

What the report says

Police in Dokolo District are investigating the death of seven-year-old Brian Ajal, whose body was found inside a grass-thatched house in Ongoceng Cell, Southern Ward, Bata Town Council. According to the Nile Post report, officers arrested the boy’s stepmother, Sharon Akello, a 30-year-old woman, and she is being held as investigators try to establish what happened.

North Kyoga Region police spokesperson SP Patrick Jimmy Okema said preliminary information suggests the child and Akello spent the night together in the same hut before the boy was discovered dead. Police have not yet determined the cause of death, and the circumstances remain unclear. The allegations involving Akello are still being examined.

Authorities said witness statements have already been recorded, and the body was taken to Dokolo Health Centre IV mortuary for a postmortem examination. Police also said they will prepare a file for submission to the Resident State Attorney for legal guidance once investigations advance.

The case has drawn concern in the local community, and police appealed for calm while inquiries continue. As a general matter, cases involving child deaths are typically treated as serious criminal investigations until postmortem and witness evidence clarify whether foul play, accident, or another cause was involved.