- Initially denied any involvement
Kelly Sandiford, a 35-year- old dental nurse of Wismar Housing Scheme, is facing a murder charge after investigations show that she was responsible for the death of her god daughter, 20 year old Todah Richards. According to reports, the lifeless body of Richards had a belt hooked to her neck and tied to the head of the bed on which she was lying, when she was eventually discovered.
The nurse had initially told investigators that after seeing her god daughter motionless on the bed, she cut the strap of a belt that was around the woman’s neck. Sandiford even noted that Richards was mentally ill, purporting this to be the reason for her apparent suicide. However in a strange twist of events, Inspector Singh of Mackenzie Police Station acting upon information received, recalled the persons who had been earlier assisting with the investigations. Sandiford was later arrested by ranks after she left her church. Sandiford reportedly confessed her involvement in her god daughter’s death and is presently in police custody.
Police had taken Richards’ body to the Mackenzie Hospital last week, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. A post mortem examination conducted on Friday revealed that Richards died as a result of compression of injuries to the neck. Her body also reportedly bore several marks of violence. The dead woman’s father, who heads the church that Sandiford attends, was also of the view that his daughter had taken her own life. He too gave testimony that she was mentally ill. Residents say members of the church usually exorcise demons by thrashing the possessed persons.
