The hope of a fresh start in the United States has ended in tragedy for 27-year-old Branson Oduor, whose body was discovered in the waters of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor nearly two weeks after he was reported missing.
According to police in Baltimore, Oduor was last seen in the early hours of Saturday, April 4, along the 1600 block of Thames Street in the popular Fells Point district.
He had been out with friends celebrating March Madness, a widely followed college basketball event in the United States, before he mysteriously disappeared.
Surveillance footage later showed him outside The Horse You Came In On on the night he vanished. Reports indicate he had been escorted out of the establishment and declined assistance from a passerby who had offered to help him get into a ride.
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Days after his disappearance, authorities responded to reports of a body floating near the 500 block of East Pratt Street. His body was retrieved at about 8 a.m. and later identified as Oduor.
The remains were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office, where the cause of death is yet to be determined.
In the days leading up to the discovery, Oduor’s loved ones launched an intense search effort. His mother, Millicent Oduor, and his girlfriend, Emily Costa, worked alongside police and volunteers, holding onto hope that he would be found alive.
Concern was first raised when he failed to return home, prompting Costa to request a wellness check that triggered the search.
Investigators also discovered Oduor’s electric bicycle abandoned near the 600 block of South President Street, about five days after he was last seen, adding another layer of mystery to the case.
Friends say Oduor had recently begun building a new life in the United States and had secured a job he was excited about, making his sudden death even more heartbreaking.
What was meant to be a new chapter filled with opportunity has now turned into a painful loss for his family, both in the U.S. and back in Kenya.
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