Photo courtesy of Agnes Tirop/Instagram
Olympic runner Agnes Tirop was found dead in her home in Kenya of apparent stab wounds on Wednesday.
Authorities suspect Emmanuel Rotich, Tirop’s husband, is responsible for her death, according to CNN. The police are currently searching for Rotich, who reportedly called his in-laws crying and begging for forgiveness.
“The suspect had made a call to Tirop’s parents saying that he’d committed something wrong. So we believe he knows what happened,” Keiyo North Sub County Police Commander Tom Makori told AFP.
Tirop’s body was discovered by police after her father reported her missing on Tuesday, reported BBC. She had been stabbed in her neck and abdomen.
“When [police] got in the house, they found Tirop on the bed, and there was a pool of blood on the floor,” Makori said. The windshield and windows of her car were smashed, which indicated a domestic dispute had occurred.
Tirop was only 25 years old when she passed, but she accomplished a lot in her short life. She competed in the Toyko Olympics, where she finished fourth in the 5,000-meter race, reported The Washington Post. In September, she broke a world record for the women’s 10-kilometer road race. Tirop also won two bronze medals at the 2017 and 2019 World Championships.
Uhuru Kenyatta, president of Kenya, demanded justice for Tirop on Wednesday.
“It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we’ve lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, had brought our country so much glory,” Kenyatta said in a statement.
“It is even more painful that Agnes, a Kenyan hero by all measures, painfully lost her young life through a criminal act perpetuated by selfish and cowardly people. I urge our law enforcement agencies to track down and apprehend the criminals responsible for the killing of Agnes so that they can face the full force of the law.”
Kenya’s National Police Service said Tirop was the victim of a “heinous crime” and promised to conduct “speedy and comprehensive investigations.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.