73 dead in connection to suspected starvation cult in Kenya

Pastor Paul Mackenzie has been arrested after dozens of his followers allegedly starved themselves to death believing they would go to heaven.

A grim investigation into a fringe Christian cult in Kenya has turned up dozens of bodies, with the death count expected to rise as police continue to exhume the forest around the Good News International Church.

The church land is owned by pastor Paul Mackenzie, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism. The bodies found on the 800-acre plot are believed to be his followers, who starved themselves to death believing they would go to heaven and meet Jesus before the end of the world.

Last weekend alone, 39 bodies were recovered from mass graves on the property in the Shakahola forest. Reuters reports that the total death count associated with the investigation currently stands at 73.

Kenyan police raided the Good News International Church two weeks ago following tips about the cult from locals and human rights activists who found that a number of people were going missing around the coastal town of Malindi.

When police arrived at the property they found emaciated people who couldn’t even walk or talk.

Eight severely emaciated people who were found alive by police later died, said Kenya’s Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome on Monday.

At the time, Koome said some 50 bodies had been dug up in shallow graves on the property and that 29 survivors had been recovered from the secluded church complex, though not all of them wanted to rescued, still believing in Mackenzie’s teachings.

New reports indicate that an additional 26 bodies were recovered on Monday, according to Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said that 33 people have now been rescued from the church.