A Lowell man, Kevin Kangethe, 40, is in custody after being nabbed in Kenya for the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Margaret "Maggie" Mbitu, 31, whose body was found in an SUV at Boston's Logan Airport last November, officials reported. Mbitu, from Whitman, was reported missing on October 30, 2023, her abandoned remains were discovered days later in a parking garage, leading to a manhunt that spanned continents, NBC10 Boston and Boston 25 News have confirmed.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden lauded the collaboration between U.S. and Kenyan authorities, stating, "I’m extremely grateful to the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the FBI, Kenyan law enforcement agencies, the Kenyan government and the Massachusetts State Police for bringing the person accused of Margaret Mbitu’s brutal murder into custody," their indefatigable efforts have now opened the path for Mbitu's family and friends to witness Kangethe facing the consequences of his alleged crime, Massachusetts State Police found the white 2013 Toyota Venza linked to the crime after scouring hours of surveillance footage that ultimately placed Kangethe at the terminal boarding a flight shortly after abandoning the vehicle, according to details mentioned by NBC10 Boston.
Mbitu had been last spotted alive leaving work in Halifax before her tragic fate, and according to a statement by her mother, Rose, Mbitu had been attempting to sever ties with Kangethe prior to her disappearance, Boston 25 highlighted Rose's overwhelming distress, telling the news outlet, "I don’t have the strength to talk." The nonprofit BAMSI, where Mbitu was employed, paid tribute to her as an "amazing" member of their team, illustrating the profound loss reverberating amongst those who knew her personally and professionally.
The sad unraveling of Mbitu's last moments and the accusations leveled against Kangethe have sent shockwaves throughout the community, with Kangethe's alleged flight to his home nation following the incident, not an uncommon tactic to evade law enforcement after such harrowing events, investigators pieced together the final encounters through the digital recordings of cameras that left a bread crumb trail right to the terminal of Logan Airport moments before Kangethe's flight, elucidated by reports from Hoodline. Coupled with the grim discovery, these fragments of evidence shed grim light upon the hidden undercurrents of violence that sometimes taint relationships behind closed doors.
