The Ghana Police Service has arrested a 39-year-old man, Michael Mensah, in connection with the death of University of Cape Coast (UCC) student, Innocentia Atsufui Avinu.
According to the police, the suspect was picked up on Sunday, June 15, 2026, at about 7:15 p.m. at the Pedu Lorry Station in Cape Coast by the Inspector General of Police’s Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team. The arrest, the service said, followed sustained intelligence-led operations.
Preliminary investigations indicate that on June 11, 2026, at about 6:48 p.m., Mensah allegedly picked up the deceased from Ayensu Plaza within the UCC hostel enclave and drove her to Hutchland Beach, where she was last seen.
Police say investigations are still ongoing and further updates will be communicated in due course.
Innocentia Avinu, 20, was a Level 200 Bachelor of Commerce (Human Resource Management) student at UCC. She resided in a private hostel at Amamoma near the university, while her family hails from Dzodze in the Volta Region.
Her body was later found washed ashore at Hutchland Beach near Duakor along the Cape Coast–Takoradi highway on the morning of Friday, June 12, after residents alerted authorities. The Cape Coast District Police Command subsequently began investigations and appealed to the public for assistance in identifying her.
Identification was confirmed after her roommate reported to the police with a photograph. The roommate said Innocentia had received a phone call, left the room dressed casually in the evening, and never returned. The family later formally identified the body at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital mortuary on Saturday, June 13.
The Central Regional Police Command earlier stated that a preliminary examination of the body, conducted in the presence of relatives, showed no visible signs of assault. The command also dismissed social media claims that parts of the body were missing, describing such reports as false.
The family has also rejected the circulating allegations of organ harvesting and urged the public to stop spreading images of the deceased.
The tragic incident has drawn national concern. Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu described the situation as deeply distressing and directed UCC to work closely with the police to ensure a thorough investigation. The university has since opened an internal inquiry and provided counselling support to affected students, including the deceased’s roommate and classmates.
A post-mortem examination is expected to help determine the exact cause of death as investigations continue.
Source: 3news
