Yaounde: Police parades woman suspected of murder, baby theft.

The Commissioner of the Yaounde Central Police Station No.1, Police Commissioner Medou Thierry, identified the suspect as Essang Edang Nazarine, 26.

Commissioner Medou said police officers went to work after they received distressed calls from inhabitants of the Mvan neighbourhood, alerting that the body of Essomba Etienne Gabrielle, 18, was found in the area.

Medou also said after the call, Essomba Etienne Gabrielle was rushed to the hospital, where she was confirmed dead on arrival. 

He disclosed that while at the hospital, medics carried out an autopsy which revealed that she had consumed a poisonous substance leading to them opening an investigation. He said the incident took place on May 8, 2025.

According to the Police Commissioner, this was while the now late Essomba Etienne Gabrielle, was traveling from Mbalmayo to Yaounde to meet her family.

The deceased breastfeeding mother is said to have met Essang Edang Nazarine and started conversing with her as they travelled together.

Commissioner Medou disclosed that: “Essang Edang Nazarine had the opportunity as she realised how much Etienne Gabrielle was indigenous, since she told her about her life, troubles, and difficulties”. 

“…since she had no child and was married to a man who asked her to have a child, she told herself that this was opportunity of her getting one… after searching for a long time,” Commissioner Medou said. 

The Commissioner stated that at that time, the idea to take away Essomba Etienne Gabrielle’s baby came to her mind. She is said to have poisoned the breastfeeding mother as they arrived Mvan.

“Once they arrived Mvan, Essang Edang Nazarine bought rat poison and since Essomba Etienne Gabrielle had complained of hunger, she bought bread with beans and put the poison inside before giving her to eat. This led to the cause of her death,” Commissioner Medou told reporters. 

After disappearing with the baby, police investigations were opened to trace the true cause of the death of Gabrielle.

Police officers disclosed that with the help of the population, they were able to trace the death to Nazarine who had given the baby to her husband after convincing him she was pregnant and that’s why she had to stay at her parents’ house to have the baby. 

Police officers added that after Nazarine discovered that she was wanted by authorities, she abandoned the baby with her husband and decided to run for her life.

She was later apprehended by police officers at a border village as she was about escaping to Equatorial Guinea. Commissioner Medou said the baby was later recovered from Nazarine’s husband.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3472 of Friday June 13, 2025