The recent death of Lois Abena Koranteng, a 24-year-old graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has brought to light the heartbreaking story of how her family has suffered a series of bereavements within the last seven (7) months.
The death of Lois
Lois Abena Koranteng was reportedly found unconscious in a pool while on a business trip with her boss and his driver on June 8, 2024.
Reports revealed that the deceased, her boss, and his driver lodged in separate rooms in a hotel in Takoradi for a night. However, a hotel worker discovered Lois's body in the hotel swimming pool at dawn on June 8, 2024, wearing just a bra and underwear.
Lois was quickly rushed to the nearest hospital but was pronounced dead upon arrival. The Police, after an official complaint was made, conducted an autopsy to determine the cause of death but remained tight-lipped about the investigation.
A grieving uncle, brother and son shares his misfortune
Amidst public calls for justice for Lois, whose death has widely been blamed on suspected foul play, a man identifying as her uncle took to social media to share a more devastating story of the misfortune that has befallen him and his family.
In a viral Facebook post, Kwesi Kidman revealed that the family first suffered misfortune with the death of one of his sisters. According to him, news of his sister's passing, which was broken to his mother in a rather careless manner, led to her hospitalisation and subsequent death due to shock.
To add to the family's woes, news of Lois's death reached the family while they were arranging the funeral for her mother and grandmother.
"My sister (Faustina) passes away, some careless family person calls my mother (Afua Ansomaa) to break the news without any filter. Mother falls from the shock of her deceased daughter, gets admitted at Korlebu and passes on three weeks later. As family makes arrangements for the funeral of the two, the last child of my deceased sister LOIS KORANTENG is 'murdered' in some stupid hotel in Takoradi. 2024 has been a hard year," the grieving relative wrote.
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Family demands justice
A brother of the 24-year-old deceased, Lois Abena Koranteng, has shared his reasons for bringing the matter to the public domain.
Speaking exclusively with GhanaWeb over a phone call, George Agyenim Boateng expressed displeasure over the slow-paced investigation into the death of his sister.
Following the death of Lois Koranteng, a petroleum engineering graduate of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, on June 7, 2024, the family took to social media to complain about the Police's failure to make any arrests and their lack of communication with the family on the progress of their investigations, a month after the incident.
According to George Agyenim Boateng, the police autopsy report conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital had also been concealed from the family. The Police claim they are holding the report to assist in their investigations.
Appealing to the Police to speed up the investigations into the incident, he said he feels his sister's case has been sidelined. He added that this process has been delayed, which is why he brought the matter to the public's attention.
George Agyenim Boateng further stated that the company in question, Icon Energy, where his late sister worked, has since visited the family to express their condolences formally.
Recounting what happened, he said the late Lois Abena Koranteng called the family on June 7, 2024, to inform them of her business trip to Anaji, a township of Takoradi in the Western Region, together with one of her supervisors and a company driver.
The family was contacted by the company on June 8, 2024, to inform them of the death of their relative, who was reportedly found in the swimming pool at dawn but was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.
Police breaks silence on investigation, reveals cause of Lois' death
Meanwhile, following a social media campaign calling for justice for Lois, the Ghana Police Service issued a statement on July 11, 2024, stating that the cause of death was determined to be asphyxia, severe pulmonary edema, and drowning in a pool.
The autopsy, according to the Police, was conducted at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on June 8, 2024, in the presence of the deceased's family.
"The body was later deposited at the morgue where an autopsy was conducted on June 8, 2024, in the presence of the deceased's family by a pathologist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital who verbally stated the cause of death as (i) Asphyxia (ii) severe pulmonary edema and (iii) drowning in a pool," parts of the statement read.
The Police further stated that an official complaint was received on June 8, 2024, following the death of Lois Abena Koranteng.
"On June 8, 2024, the Ghana Police Service received a complaint stating that Lois Abena Koranteng, a 24-year-old woman, had been found unconscious in a swimming pool at a hotel in Takoradi, Western Region. She was taken to the hospital for medical attention but was pronounced dead on arrival," the statement clarified.
The statement added that the Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has since contacted the family following complaints by the family about the extent of police engagement in the investigation.
"Meanwhile, following the dissatisfaction expressed by the family of the deceased in sections of the media regarding the extent of Police engagement with them on the matter, the Inspector-General of Police yesterday, July 10 2024, reached out to the family via a telephone call and rendered an unqualified apology to them for the lack of sufficient Police engagement. He assured them that investigation into the incident is still ongoing and also informed them of the readiness of the Police to visit them at their convenience and update them on the investigation done so far," the Police said.
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