By Tata Mbunwe
A 62-year-old woman, identified only as Marie M., has been arrested in connection with the death of her daughter-in-law, Marie Joëlle Abona, who succumbed to stab wounds days after a family dispute turned deadly.
The suspect was arrested on Wednesday, September 23, by officers of the Yaoundé II Research Brigade, alongside the deceased woman’s husband.
The arrests followed the death of Abona, 29, who passed away on September 22 at the Yaounde University Teaching Hospital.
According to reports, the tragedy happened on September 17 when a dispute broke out between the two women in the Nsimeyong neighborhood of Yaounde III. The exchange escalated, and Abona was stabbed with a bladed weapon. She was rushed to the hospital but did not survive her injuries.
The case took a further turn on Wednesday when authorities, acting on instructions from the State Counsel at the Mfoundi Court of First Instance, ordered an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
A psychiatric evaluation of the suspect has also been announced, suggesting investigators are exploring her mental state at the time of the incident.
The deceased’s partner was also taken into custody, though his role in the events leading to the stabbing remains unclear.
The arrest of the mother-in-law has shocked the Nsimeyong community, where the family was known. Neighbors described the relationship between the two women as tense, though it remains unclear what specifically triggered the fatal dispute.
Investigations are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances of the tragedy, as the family grapples with a loss that has torn them apart.