Ep. 044 | The Kuria Family Murders
Jane Kuria fought against female genital mutilation (FGM) in Kenya. Facing threats and violence, she sought asylum in the U.S. with her three children. Six years later, she and her two daughters were found brutally murdered in their Georgia home. Jane (46), Isabella (19), and Annabelle (16) were bludgeoned to death, but two survivors were found—Jane’s son Jeremy (7) and his cousin PK. They had been lying in bed, barely alive, for 30 hours.
A family friend urged police to investigate the Mungiki, a feared Kenyan organization linked to extortion, political violence, and murder. Did Jane’s activism make her a target—even after 6 years in the U.S.? But police soon turned their focus on the family friend himself. Despite speaking to Jane up to 12 times a day, he didn’t call her once in the 30 hours after her death. Suspicious coincidence? Or something more sinister?
Years have passed, and the case remains unsolved. Could genetic genealogy finally uncover the killer?
SOURCES:
All That's Interesting. (n.d.). Mungiki: Inside Kenya’s secretive and deadly criminal sect. All That's Interesting. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://allthatsinteresting.com/mungiki
Investigation Discovery. (n.d.). Police are still baffled by the vicious unsolved murders of Jane Kuria and her daughters. Investigation Discovery. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://www.investigationdiscovery.com/crimefeed/id-shows/still-a-mystery/police-are-still-baffled-by-the-vicious-unsolved-murders-of-jane-kuria-and-her-daughters
Kenya UNFPA. (2022). Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022: Key indicators report shows drop in FGM, teen pregnancy. UNFPA. https://kenya.unfpa.org/en/news/kenya-demographic-and-health-survey-2022-key-indicators-report-shows-drop-fgm-teen-pregnancy
Mshale. (2007, September 6). Detectives progress on murders of Kenyan mother, daughters. Mshale. https://mshale.com/2007/09/06/detectives-progress-on-murders-of-kenyan-mother-daughters/
Nation Africa. (2023). Murder of Kenyan family baffles US authorities 16 years on. Nation Africa. https://nation.africa/kenya/news/diaspora/diaspora-news/murder-of-kenyan-family-baffles-us-authorities-16-years-on-4225208
Nairobi News. (2024). 17 years later: Murder of Kenyan mother and two daughters in US still unsolved. Nairobi News. https://nairobinews.nation.africa/17-years-later-murder-of-kenyan-mother-and-2-daughters-in-us-still-unsolved/
Podcast: Unsolved Mysteries. (2021). The Kuria Family Murders [Audio podcast episode]. Unsolved Mysteries.
Reuters. (2017). Kenya’s Kuria to halt female genital mutilation in "unlucky" 2017. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/kenyas-kuria-to-halt-female-genital-mutilation-in-unlucky-2017-idUSKBN15G4V7/
Star News Online. (2007, August 11). Killing of Kenyan immigrants in Atlanta remains unsolved. Star News Online. https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2007/08/11/killing-of-kenyan-immigrants-in-atlanta-remains-unsolved/30317402007/
Unsolved. (2021). The Kuria Family Murders [Case file]. Unsolved. https://unsolved.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/108-The-Kuria-Family-Murders-Web-Final.pdf
WHO. (2023). Female genital mutilation: Fact sheet. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation
YouTube. (n.d.). The Kuria Family Murders [Video]. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from https://youtu.be/LH5wNn0pbH0
