The death of a Catholic bishop in Cameroon, originally viewed by police as a likely suicide, is now being investigated as a probable murder.
The body of Bishop Jean- Marie Benoit Balla of Bafia was discovered in a river near Yaounde, Cameroon, on June 2. He had been missing for several days.
The bishop’s body was discovered not far from a bridge where his car had been found, with a note saying, “I am in the water.” Police initially believed that this was a suicide note, but as the investigation unfolded, began questioning whether the bishop himself had written the note.
An autopsy showed clear signs of a violent death, and no evidence of death by drowning, according to local media reports.
The 58-year-old bishop was appointed to Bafia by St John Paul II in 2003. The Catholic communities have been attacked more frequently by terrorist organization Boko Haram, which allied itself with the Islamic State in March 2015. The group is notorious for kidnapping and murdering priests and nuns.
