Accra: Police suspect body burnt beyond recognition in vehicle abandoned on Legon bypass belongs to missing car dealer, DNA analysis underway

The police suspect that a body, which was recently discovered burnt beyond recognition in an abandoned vehicle on the Legon bypass in Accra, belongs to a missing car dealer, Theophilus Ashitey Armah, who has been missing since April 6, 2026.

The police is investigating a suspected murder case and they suspect the charred body is that of the missing car dealer.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has therefore commenced DNA testing to establish the identity of the body.

Police investigators say the charred remains were discovered inside a burnt vehicle at Adamafio Link, off the Legon bypass road, but the condition of the body made visual identification impossible.

Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday [May 12, 2026], the Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, said forensic procedures were now central to the investigation.

A “close friend and neighbour” of the car dealer named by the police as Wisdom Tetteh, has since been arrested and arraigned in court.

He has been remanded in custody.

“Due to the severe burns sustained by the deceased, visual identification could not be conclusively established. Consequently, DNA samples have been obtained from the deceased’s mother for forensic analysis,” COP Donkor said.

Suspect arrested in Togo

The CID boss said the police on April 30, 2026 arrested a key suspect, Wisdom Tetteh, a close friend and neighbour of the missing car dealer, in connection with the case.

Wisdom Tetteh has since been arraigned in court and remanded in police custody to assist with investigations. The neighbour of the missing car dealer, however, has been released on bail.

The CID boss said Tetteh was apprehended in Togo through an INTERPOL-assisted operation after allegedly attempting to sell the deceased’s mobile phone.

“He was subsequently handed over to the Ghana Police Service at the Aflao Border and conveyed to the CID headquarters,” in Accra, she stated.

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What happened?

Preliminary “investigations established that on April 6, 2026, the suspect lured the deceased to his residence under the pretext of a vehicle sale, attacked him, and inflicted head injuries,” COP Donkor said at the press briefing.

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The suspect later sold the deceased’s Hyundai Elantra saloon car for GH¢170,000 and received an initial payment of GH¢80,000, she said.

She said investigators believe that “on April 7, 2026, the suspect allegedly transported the body to Adamafio Link, removed the vehicle’s number plate, and set both the vehicle and the body ablaze in an attempt to destroy evidence. CCTV footage, however, captured the suspect at the scene,” she said.

COP Donkor said the suspect was arraigned before court on May 5, 2026, and remanded into police custody to assist with ongoing investigations.

She added that another individual, whose vehicle was allegedly used in transporting the body, had been granted police enquiry bail and was cooperating with investigators.

“The neighbour whose vehicle was allegedly used in transporting the body has been granted police enquiry bail and is assisting with investigations,” she said.

Police say investigations into the murder case are continuing.

Source: Graphic.com.gh