A 17-year-old boy identified as Elijah Akinrinlola has been found dead five days after he went missing in Ondo State.
The deceased, who lived with his father Mr. Tope Akinrinlola, along College road, at Bagbe, Ondo West local government area, was found hanging from a tree in the agrarian community.
A source, who gave her name as Helen, told The Nation that the family initially wasn’t worried when the teenager didn’t return home on the first day.
“The first day he did not come home to sleep, his family thought it was just what he normally did and were not worried. Then, they began to search for him when they did not see nor hear from him the following day. He was later found hanging on a tree with a rope around his neck after missing for like five days. The place he was found is close to their street,” she said.
Another source said, “What I heard is that he disappeared from his father’s house for maybe five days. His father searched for him everywhere, but he did not see him. Nobody saw him until someone who was going to pick snails in the farm at night found his lifeless body hanging on the tree.
“They don’t know what could have led to this. I think he was a carpentry apprentice sometime ago. I don’t know if he was through with learning before this happened. He was a very lively person. He loved playing with people and having fun. He was someone who was not worried about issues. So, this is shocking to me,”
Spokesman of the State Police Command, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, who confirmed the incident on Wednesday March 8, said the police are currently carrying out an investigation into the incident.
“We are actually making enquiries from the parents and his friends because what would have led to him committing suicide? We are investigating
that,” she said.