The Education Minister has extended his condolences to the bereaved family and friends of a 20-year-old Level 200 student of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Innocentia Avinu, whose lifeless body was found washed ashore near Hutchland Beach Resort in Cape Coast.

This was days after she was reported missing after telling friends that she was going to meet an acquaintance identified only as Ancelotti outside the university community.

Reacting to the sad incident, the Education Minister, in a formal statement, ordered a full investigation into the events surrounding her death.

He said, “The Ministry extends its heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, and the University community, and urges the public to allow the investigative process to proceed unhindered.

“The Honourable Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the authorities of the University of Cape Coast to collaborate closely with the Ghana Police Service to commence a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student's death.”

Police report

Police reports indicate that the UCC District Police Command received information at about 3:15 a.m. on June 12 that the body of an unidentified female, believed to be between 25 and 30 years old, had been discovered on the beach.

A team of police officers dispatched to the scene found the body lying face down, with blood oozing from the nose. A preliminary examination conducted at the scene revealed no visible signs of assault or other external injuries.

Photographs were taken, and the body was conveyed to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital mortuary pending identification and an autopsy.

Subsequently, the Dean of Students of the University of Cape Coast joined police investigators and family members at the mortuary, where the body was formally identified and confirmed to be that of the missing student.

Police said a further examination of the body in the presence of relatives did not reveal any physical injuries or signs of violence.

The Central Regional Crime Scene Management Team has since visited and processed the location where the body was found as part of ongoing investigations.

The body remains at the mortuary awaiting an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The circumstances surrounding the student's death remain unclear, and police have assured the public that investigations are ongoing to establish the facts of the incident.