An investigation is currently ongoing by the Ashanti Regional Police related to the tragic death of three siblings suspected to have been killed by an insecticide used to drive away bedbugs from a room they slept in.
The terrible incident occurred on December 28, 2023, when 15-year-old Judith Ekua Frans, and her siblings, 11-year-old Christian Magdaline Efua Frans, and six-year-old Nana Benin, who lived at Pakoso with their mother, visited their grandmother for school holidays in Asawase in the Ashanti Region
While preparing a room for the children’s stay, their uncle, Anthony Frans, applied an insecticide, Toptoxin Fumigation tablet, also known as ‘bomb,’ to disinfect the room against bedbugs.
The family discovered 11-year-old Mary Magdelene Afua Frans and Christian Nana Benin Jacob Frans lying unconscious the next day, prompting immediate medical attention. They were, however, pronounced dead upon arrival at the Manhyia Government Hospital.
Assembly Member for the Asawase East Electoral area, Mathew Amissah, described it as a tragic event, and also the incident has thrown the community into grief. That prompted police involvement.
Anthony Frans, the uncle who applied the chemical, was arrested and detained as part of the ongoing investigation. In court on Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Anthony Frans faced a provisional murder charge. and granted bail of GHC20,000 with two sureties by the Asokore Mampong District Court.
State prosecutors have been detailing how three young siblings lost their lives after being ‘accidentally’ exposed to bedbug fumigation chemicals at their Asawase Railways home located in the Asokore Mampong Municipality.
During proceedings at the Asokore Mampong District Court on Tuesday (9 January), it was revealed that the elder sister, Judith Ekua Frans, who was referred to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, has also passed away, while their grandmother, Akua Gyaabena, 66, remains hospitalized.
