- A family that had already buried their son and begun mourning is now grappling with shock and disbelief after he suddenly reappeared alive
- The moment turned their grief into confusion overnight,
forcing them to exhume a body that never belonged to him - What was thought to be a painful goodbye has become a
haunting mystery, with unanswered questions raised about
who it was they buried
- The moment turned their grief into confusion overnight,
Residents of a quiet village in [57]Uganda are struggling to
come to terms with an extraordinary moment that turned grief
into disbelief after a man presumed dead was found alive, hours
after his burial.
Godwin Baguma, a resident of Kijura Central Cell in Central
Division, had been missing for several weeks, sparking growing
concern among his family and neighbours.
The situation took a tragic turn when police recovered a
decomposing body from a sugarcane plantation in Kisanja Cell.
The remains were transported to Masindi Hospital mortuary,
where authorities called on families with missing loved ones to
assist in identification.
Baguma’s father, Yakobo Kamuturaki, recounted the painful
moment the family was informed. Unable to view the body
himself, he sent his sons to the mortuary. They later returned
with devastating news.
“We were told the body was in a bad state. My sons went and
identified it as their brother. We believed them and
accepted that he was dead,” he said.When was Baguma buried?
With the body already badly decomposed, the family moved
swiftly to arrange a burial as word spread quickly through the
surrounding areas, drawing mourners who gathered to pay their
last respects.
As preparations for the final rites got underway, reports began
circulating that Baguma had been spotted alive in the
neighbouring village.
“At first, we dismissed it as rumours. We had already buried
the body. But we decided to go and confirm,” said his
sister, Jane Birungi.Moment Baguma returned home
Family members rushed to the location, only to find Baguma
alive. It is understood he had spent the night at a friend’s
home.
“When we saw him, we were shocked. We could not believe it
was him standing there alive,” Birungi said.Baguma was immediately taken back home, bringing the funeral
proceedings to an abrupt and bewildering halt.
The shocking discovery forced the family into an emotional and
complicated process, exhuming the body they had already buried.
With the new development, it has now emerged that the remains,
once believed to be Baguma’s, belong to an unidentified
individual.
“We had already mourned and even buried the body. Then
suddenly, the person we thought was dead returns alive. This
is something we have never witnessed before,” said neighbour
Janet Asiimwe.Vihiga family forced to exhume grave after learning they buried
wrong body from Kisii
What happens to body they buried?
Police have since confirmed the incident and launched
investigations to establish the true identity of the body.
Solomon Mugisa, the Albertine North Regional Community Liaison
Officer and acting police spokesperson, said the remains had
been recovered on Friday before being misidentified.
He confirmed that the family has withdrawn their initial
identification, and the body has since been exhumed and
returned to Masindi Hospital mortuary.
Police are now urging the public to exercise extreme caution
when identifying bodies, particularly those in advanced stages
of decomposition.
“In such situations, identification must be done carefully,
and families should work closely with medical personnel to
avoid such mistakes,” Mugisa advised.He further emphasised that proper legal procedures must be
followed during exhumations, including obtaining court orders
and involving relevant authorities.
Vihiga family buries wrong body