A 36-year-old woman in Mangochi District believed to be mentally challenged on Tuesday murdered her 4-year-old daughter.

Mangochi Police Station Publicist Sub-Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi identified the suspect as Mimu Lemani who murdered the child and buried her at their compound.

Daudi said the incident occurred at Kawinga Village in the area of Traditional Authority Chowe in the district.

She added that the daughter was staying with her psychiatric mother and other family members.

“On the night of Monday, the child was reported missing from home whereby a search was conducted but proved futile”, she said

The following morning the mother to the psychiatric woman got suspicious after seeing her burying something and she alerted other family members.

Upon removing the top soil, they were surprised to find the dead body of the innocent child.

The matter was reported at Malombe Police Unit who rushed to the scene and took the dead body to Malombe Health Centre where postmortem results have indicated she died due to suffocation.

Meanwhile, arrangements are being made for the suspect to be sent to mental hospital for medical assistance.