An Epworth family buried an empty coffin after ‘forgetting’ the corpse at home. Family members of the late Tatenda Billy (11) took an empty coffin to Zinyengere Cemetery in Epworth only to discover that they had left the body behind.
The Herald reports that the situation became even more bizarre when the deceased’s aunt later carried the corpse on her back to the cemetery two kilometres away from their home.
Mourners who remained behind discovered that the corpse covered with a blanket in a room. The deceased’s mother, Ms Egness Kachingamire, confirmed the incident to the Herald but denied suggestions that witchcraft was involved.
“I can say that we were traumatised by Tatenda’s death and no one thought of informing the police as we were busy trying to come to terms with what had happened. I was even shocked myself when I learnt that the corpse had been left behind,” said a grieving Ms Kachingamire.
Residents in the area suspect that some family members wanted to use the body for ritual purposes. It has been alleged that senior family members ordered all mourners to leave the room in which the boy’s body lay.
Residents also alleged that one church member pointed out that the coffin seemed empty, but was told by a family member that the wood used to make it was ‘light material’, adding that the boy was small and therefore did not weigh much.
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