Kenyan Runner Agnes Tirop Found Dead, Husband Arrested as Suspect

By Alyssa Wilson Published: October 15, 2021

Kenyan Runner Agnes Tirop Found Dead, Husband Arrested as Suspect

STILL PHOTO SHOWING TIROP CELEBRATING AFTER FINISHING THIRD IN THE 10,000M WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS FINAL TOKYO, JAPAN (FILE - JULY 30, 2021) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL)

In Summary

Kenyan runner Agnes Tirop was found dead in her home with stab wounds and her husband was arrested as the main suspect.

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Agnes Tirop, an Olympic runner from Kenya and two-time world champion, was found dead in her home Wednesday.

According to the Associated Press, Tirop was found in her home with stab wounds in her abdomen and neck. Her car parked outside had its windows smashed.

Elgeyo Marakwet County police chief Tom Makori said officials were searching for Tirop’s husband after his family said he called them crying and asking for God’s forgiveness for something he did.

Kenya’s national police said the 25-year-old Kenyan sprinter was the victim of a “heinous crime” and they promised to work quickly to conduct a comprehensive investigation.

The National Police Service is saddened to learn of the untimely death of Agnes Chebet Tirop, a 10,000 metres veteran.
Though not a police officer, NPS has had a cordial relationship with the sports heroine who has excelled, and represented Kenya with a lot of patriotism. pic.twitter.com/c33knd7xF1
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) October 13, 2021

On Friday, Kenya’s National Police Service tweeted that Tirop’s husband Ibrahim Kipkemoi Rotich was arrested in Mombasa.

ARREST MADE
Suspected killer husband of Agnes Tirop, the long distance runner heroine recently murdered at her home, has been arrested.The suspect, one Ibrahim Kipkemoi Rotich,who has been on the run with police on hot trail, was nabbed in Mombasa by diligent police detectives.. https://t.co/hgWNI88IJa pic.twitter.com/frGv54XeFH
— National Police Service-Kenya (@NPSOfficial_KE) October 15, 2021

Tirop, a rising star in the country, finished fourth in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Olympics. Last month, she broke the world record in the women-only 10-kilometer road race in Germany, the AP reported.

President Uhuru Kenyatta released a statement on Tirop’s death, saying, “It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we’ve lost a young and promising athlete. It is even more painful that Agnes, a Kenyan hero by all measures, painfully lost her young life through a criminal act perpetrated by selfish and cowardly people.”

This is a developing story that will be updated.