BOSTON — A murder warrant has been issued for a Lowell man who is wanted in the death of a missing Whitman woman whose body was found in a car at a Logan Airport garage on Wednesday night, investigators announced Thursday.
Troopers responding to a report of a dead woman in a car at the airport’s Central Parking garage around 6:30 p.m. identified the victim as 31-year-old Margaret Mbitu, who had been reported missing by her family on Monday, according to Massachusetts State Police.
Whitman police said that Mbitu was last seen leaving work in Halifax around 11 p.m. on Monday. At some point after that, investigators believe she was murdered.
“Evidence indicates that she was the victim of a homicide,” state police said in a statement.
A subsequent investigation identified 40-year-old Kevin Kangethe as a suspect in Mbitu’s death, according to state police. Investigators also believe Kangethe boarded a flight to Kenya after ditching Mbitu’s body at Central Parking.
State police detectives have since obtained a warrant charging Kangethe in Mbitu’s death and are working with Kenyan authorities to locate him.
Kangethe and Mbitu knew each other and this homicide wasn’t a random act, detectives noted.
Mbitu’s heartbroken mother told Boston 25 News that she learned of her daughter’s death in the overnight hours.
“The entire family, everybody’s down,” her mother says. “I’m not myself right now. This is heartbreaking.”
Mbitu’s mother says that she believes the suspected killer is someone her daughter was dating, but says her daughter was trying to break things off with him.
Rose Mbitu told Boston 25 News that her daughter was stabbed. She says detectives processed her daughter’s room in the family’s Whitman home for possible evidence in the case.
Mbitu worked for the Brockton-based nonprofit BAMSI. A company spokesperson described her as an “amazing” employee.
“She was warm, caring, and loved by everyone she worked with, both staff and the people she cared for in our group homes,” wrote a spokesperson for BAMSI. “As an agency, we are mourning over the loss of such an amazing young women.
State police said there is no threat to the public or Logan Airport travelers.
An investigation remains ongoing.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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