A tragic incident has struck the Assin Awiafitaamu community near Ketukrom in the Assin North District of the Central Region after a boy who had gone missing was discovered lifeless in a nearby thicket after five days of searching.
The two-and-a-half-year-old, Nana Yaw, had reportedly disappeared on May 13, 2026, sparking fear and concern among family members and residents who launched frantic efforts to locate him.
The police received a report on May 15 from Nana Yaw's grandfather, Godwin Tettey Amanor, after all attempts to trace the toddler proved unsuccessful.
According to information gathered, the child was left at home in the care of his two siblings after his grandmother reportedly left for the farm. However, upon her return, the boy was nowhere to be found.
Alarmed by his disappearance, relatives and community members mounted an extensive search while announcements were made through local information centres in neighbouring communities in the hope of finding him.
Sadly, the search came to a heartbreaking end on May 17 at about 4:39 p.m. when a group of hunters reportedly stumbled upon the child’s body beneath bushes during a hunting expedition.
Investigators also gathered that the hunters, who were residents of Assin Kushea, had encountered the body while tracking game with hunting dogs near Papa Magye’s settlement.
The hunters were said to have immediately alerted residents, who later informed the family before the matter was reported to the Police.
A team of officers led by the District Crime Officer, ASP Charles Akugre, visited the scene at Assin Awiafitaamu to begin investigations into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Police sources have told Graphic Online that the body was found nearly 2-kilometres from the point where the child was reported missing and about half a kilometre from a cottage said to belong to a man identified as Papa Magye.
The child was found lying on his back, dressed in an orange shirt and violet trousers. Initial examination by investigators reportedly revealed visible injuries, including marks on the head and parts of the body.
A pair of rubber slippers suspected to belong to the deceased was also discovered a few feet away from where the body was found.
Following documentation and photographs at the scene, the remains were conveyed to the St. Francis Xavier Hospital at Assin Fosu.
-Graphic-