Damaris Muthee Mutua: Kenya police launch manhunt after athlete killed

Kenyan police have initiated a manhunt after a female athlete's body was discovered with stab wounds in the town of Iten, which is known for its long-distance running center.

Damaris Muthee Mutua, 28, who was born in Kenya but competed for Bahrain, has an Ethiopian boyfriend, according to police.

She is the second female athlete to die in Iten in the last year.

The assassination of Olympic athlete Agnes Tirop horrified Kenyans last year.

Her spouse is still in detention and accuses her of murder.

Mutua's body was discovered in "a stage of decomposition" near the Rift Valley town of Iten, according to local police commander Tom Makori.

According to authorities, Mutua's boyfriend was training at the same high-altitude center as her and may have fled the country.

Mr. Makori told the Reuters news agency that the suspect called a friend with whom they were training and informed him that he had killed a girlfriend and that the body was in the house.

Mutua began his career as a youth athlete for Kenya but later transferred to Bahrain.