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The body of missing Margaret Mbitu was found this week, and authorities were searching for her boyfriend in her murder. (Missing person flyer)
A man stabbed his girlfriend and left her bloodied body in his car in a Boston Logan International Airport garage before he caught a flight to Kenya, authorities said.
Authorities found the body of Margaret Mbitu, 31, in the front passenger seat of a vehicle in the Central Parking Garage on Wednesday night and issued an arrest warrant for Kevin Kangethe, 40, authorities said.
“The investigation indicates that Kangethe and Ms. Mbitu knew each other and that the homicide was not a random act,” authorities said in a news release. “There is no threat to the public or to Logan Airport travelers.”
Arrest warrant documentation obtained by Boston’s ABC affiliate WCVB provides details about the discovery of Mbitu’s body and how authorities said they linked Kangethe as a suspect in her murder.
Troopers found her with large slash wounds on her face and neck and a puncture wound on her side, the station reported.
“They observed a large amount of blood inside the vehicle,” the warrant application said.
Authorities believe Kangethe bought tickets to Kenya on Tuesday, the day after family members reported her missing on Monday, the report said.
Officials said surveillance video captured his movements and her cellphone location in the same area. Authorities said video caught him walking out of the parking garage and into the airport, where he checked into a flight, the network reported.
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Mbitu’s mother, Rose Mbitu, told Boston’s Fox affiliate WFXT that her daughter had been trying to end her relationship with her boyfriend.
“The entire family, everybody’s down,” she said. “I’m not myself right now. This is heartbreaking.”
Brockton Area Multi-Services Inc. (BAMSI), a nonprofit serving people with mental health and substance abuse issues where Mbitu worked, issued a statement saying they were heartbroken.
“The BAMSI community is heartbroken by the tragic murder of Maggie Mbitu,” the statement said. “She was warm, caring and loved by everyone she worked with, both staff and the people she cared for in our group homes. As an agency, we are mourning over the loss of such an amazing young woman.”
The SAFE Coalition, another group where Mbitu worked, called her a “hard worker, a bright light, a brilliant nurse, and the kindest soul you will ever find.”
“Please take the time today to practice kindness, to reach out to those you know you should call but haven’t found time for, and hold the space for your own healing during these increasingly growing hard weeks,” the group said.
Mbitu’s’ cousin, Virginia Ndunga, called her “the most lovely, soft-spoken, beautiful, happy-go-lucky kind of girl — the most friendly person we know.”
“Obviously, we’re devastated,” Ndunga said. “We love her,” she said.
