A 25-year-old woman suffering from severe depression and admitted to Mount Darwin District Hospital disappeared from her ward on October 20 and was found at Concession, some 136km away, two days later unconscious and with her hands tied.

The hospital did not report the patient was missing to relatives or the police until October 22; when the woman’s aunt heard the news she rushed to Mt Darwin Police Station to make the initial missing person’s report.

Wendy Chinomungu of Rushinga was found bruised while her hands were tied with a rope at a farm in Concession. Her face was swollen. She was rushed to Parirenyatwa Hospital in Harare where she later died. Preliminary checks showed the woman had been sexually assaulted.

Ms Chinomungu had a condition known as melancholia (severe depression) and was admitted on September 30 to Mt Darwin Hospital. Owing to the condition, she was initially unable to walk, bath and eat on her own. She would be carried to the toilet and was experiencing recurring mood swings.

Despite having the family members’ contact details, the hospital staff only informed the aunt two days after she vanished according to the records.

The aunt, Ms Fariya Musandirire was the first to report to the police while the hospital administrator followed up later.

Some farm workers in Concession found the woman lying unconscious three days after she left the hospital and told the farm owner who immediately reported the case to Glendale Police Station. She was rushed to Concession Hospital and was immediately transferred to Parirenyatwa Hospital where she later died.

A post-mortem report shows that the death was due to “severe head trauma”. The pathologist said the death was not a result of natural causes.