CCTV footage nails suspect in murder of 7-year-old Tamara Blessing
CCTV footage has provided a critical breakthrough in a harrowing case that has gripped Nyeri town. The surveillance video captured 7-year-old Tamara Blessing walking alongside the suspect, just hours before she was reported missing.
The footage ultimately led to the discovery of Tamara’s body and the arrest of the suspect, Nicholas Macharia, who is accused of raping, murdering and burying the child beneath his bed.
On Saturday, four CCTV cameras mounted on the Jader Building in the Grogon area of Nyeri town—home to a car spare parts shop and overlooking a busy garage—were operating as usual. No one knew that the footage they recorded that day would become a key piece of evidence in a murder investigation.
At exactly 7:30 PM, one of the cameras positioned along a path leading to the Kiawara slums—where the suspect had rented a house—captured a man in a red T-shirt and blue trousers walking with a young girl. He was carrying a blue shopping bag.
The man was later identified as Nicholas Macharia, a well-known porter at the Nyeri market. The girl was Tamara. Her parents had begun a frantic search after she went missing earlier that evening.
In the footage, Tamara is seen wearing a brown sweater, maroon trousers, and white sandals. According to people who work in the area, she was holding a sweet in her left hand—believed to have been used by the suspect to lure her. The man is seen holding her right hand, and Tamara holds his as if he were someone she trusted.
Family members said Tamara disappeared around 6 PM on Saturday while playing near the market where her mother and grandmother work as traders.
Acting on a tip-off, residents discovered Tamara’s body stuffed in a gunny bag and buried under the suspect’s bed. They carried the body to the police station, where a confrontation erupted between the crowd and police as residents demanded to lynch the suspect.
The State Department for Children Welfare Services has pledged to closely monitor the case and ensure justice is served.
Macharia was arraigned at the Nyeri Law Courts on Tuesday, where Senior Principal Magistrate Faith Munyi ordered that he be held for 14 days to allow police to complete their investigations.
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