Police have confirmed through DNA testing that the body recovered last week from a swamp in Kyampisi Sub-county, Mukono District, belongs to 15-year-old Merisa Aneza, a Senior Two student at Naalya Secondary School, Lugazi Campus.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala told journalists on Monday that the DNA results established the identity of the deceased, allowing detectives to classify the case as murder.
“The results have since returned positive, confirming that the body recovered in Nagalama is that of the missing juvenile, Aneza Merisa,” Kawala said.
She added that investigations are ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding Aneza’s death and how her body ended up in the swamp.
Aneza was reported missing by her mother, Sarah Kamuganga, at Kikoni B Police Station in Wandegeya on November 6, after the teenager failed to link up with her father who was to take her back to school.
Ms Kamuganga said Aneza had been suspended for a week from school earlier.
The Daily Monitor reported last week that on November 4, Aneza left for school but never reached her father, Martin Anogyerire, who was to escort her back. Two days later, her mother officially reported her disappearance to police.
On November 10, a decomposing body was found in Musaale Swamp, Namulaba Village, under Nagalama Police Station.
At the time, mortuary staff in Kayunga buried the body due to its advanced state of decomposition. The body was dressed in a navy-blue skirt labelled “Nanyonga VII,” suggesting the victim was a student.
Police later secured a court order to exhume the remains for proper identification. DNA samples were taken to the Forensics Headquarters in Naguru, which confirmed the identity of the missing girl.
Following the confirmation, the body was handed over to relatives for burial on Saturday.
Kawala assured the public of a thorough investigation and said detectives are actively following leads to establish how Aneza was killed and her body dumped in the swamp.