Zimbabwe: Police Appeal for Help Identifying Seven Murder Victims in Harare Mortuaries

What the report says

Zimbabwean police have asked the public to help identify seven murder victims whose bodies are being kept at mortuaries in Harare, Chitungwiza and nearby areas. The appeal, reported by New Zimbabwe and distributed by AllAfrica, concerns cases in which the victims’ identities remain unknown and investigations are ongoing.

According to the report, the bodies were recovered in separate incidents between June 2025 and May 2026. They include a boy estimated to be 12 or 13 years old, found near the Mukuvisi River in Harare in October 2025, and adult men and women found in places including Mbare, Baines Avenue, Damafalls, Graniteside, Epworth and Brookdale in Bindura. Police said each case is being treated as a murder investigation.

The bodies are being held at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals Mortuary, Sally Mugabe Hospital Mortuary and Chitungwiza Hospital Mortuary. Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said people with missing relatives should compare the descriptions released by investigators and contact the relevant hospitals or police if they think there may be a match.

The request matters because identification is often a first step in advancing homicide inquiries and notifying families. More broadly, unresolved unidentified-decedent cases can delay justice and leave relatives without answers, which is why police are seeking public assistance.