Two young men, Francis Messalie and Thomas Ndanema, who identified themselves as hunters, made their first appearance in Freetown on July 18, 2024, following a confessional statement regarding the mysterious disappearance of Boi Samking.

Samking, who went missing on May 11, 2024, was traveling on foot from Taiama to Jenneh Gbandawa in the Kori Chiefdom of Moyamba District.

According to Mr. Abdulai Kebbie, the Crime Officer at the Moyamba District Police Division, the police made several arrests, including those of Messalie and Ndanema, to expedite the investigation after the incident was reported by local chiefdom authorities.

Initially, the two suspects denied involvement in Samking’s disappearance. However, after a thorough investigation, they confessed while in police custody. The suspects admitted to mistakenly shooting Samking during a nighttime hunting expedition. They had noticed movement in the bush and, without proper identification, one of them fired, only to realize later that their target was not an animal but a human being.

Following the shooting, Messalie and Ndanema reportedly disposed of Samking’s remains by bagging them and dumping them into the Taia River, in an attempt to prevent any trace of the body.