Zimbabwe Republic Police have issued a desperate appeal for information after six unidentified murder victims, including a juvenile, have lain unclaimed in state mortuaries for up to nearly a year, with some bodies decomposing while families remain unaware.
National Police Spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed the development naming Parirenyatwa, Sally Mugabe and Chitungwiza hospitals as holding the remains, with dates of discovery stretching from September 2025 to May 2026.
“A male adult, approximately 25–35 years old, was found dead along Baines Avenue, Harare, on 29th April 2026, wearing a brown striped cream jersey and a blue T-shirt,” Nyathi said, describing one of the two bodies at Parirenyatwa.
In a separate case, he detailed, “A female adult, approximately 24–27 years old, was found dead at Pioneer Cemetery, Mbare, on 23rd September 2025, barefoot and wearing a maroon top and skirt,” her body now held at Sally Mugabe Hospital.
The youngest victim, Nyathi added, is “a male juvenile, approximately 12-13 years old, who was found dead in a pumpkin field behind Zororo Bar, near the Mukuvisi River, on 11th October 2025” also at Sally Mugabe.
Other remains include a 30-year-old male in Damafalls, Ruwa (April 2026), a 25-year-old in Graniteside (July 2025) wearing a khaki jacket, black trousers and white sneakers; a 30-year-old in Epworth (June 2025) in a black Puma tracksuit; and a male adult from a shack in Bindura (May 2026).
Police urge relatives with missing persons matching these descriptions to visit the mortuaries or contact the nearest police station.
“We are appealing to members of the public for information which may assist in establishing their identities,” said Commissioner Nyathi.