Elvis Opiyo, the man accused of orchestrating an acid attack on fellow Seventh-day Adventist singer Mary Claire, has been found dead at his home in Umoja, Nairobi, police said.
Opiyo was discovered inside his Umoja Two house on Tuesday, August 11, according to police. The circumstances of his death remain under investigation.
Police said there were no visible injuries on his body. An empty plastic cup, a spoon and a small quantity of a white substance suspected to be poison were found nearby.
Another substance, wrapped in clear plastic, was found on a wooden table, police said.
No suicide note was recovered.
His body was taken to the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is expected to establish the cause of death.
Opiyo’s wife reported the death to police. His family said he had struggled with depression for several months.
Police officers from Buruburu visited the house and began investigations into what happened.
A case that had drawn national attention
Opiyo had been facing allegations over the March attack on Mary Claire, a gospel singer and member of the Redemption Ministers Choral Group.
Claire was attacked on March 17 as she walked home with a colleague along Ngong Road in Nairobi. An assailant allegedly splashed a corrosive substance on the two women, leaving them with serious injuries.
Opiyo was later arrested and taken before the Kibera Law Courts. Police alleged that he had arranged for another person to carry out the assault. He was released on bail as the case proceeded.
Investigators had also been examining an earlier assault allegation involving Claire.
During proceedings in March, the court heard that Claire had previously reported an alleged assault involving Opiyo in November 2025. Investigators were also examining CCTV footage that reportedly placed Opiyo at a medical facility where Claire was taken after the acid attack.
The allegations against Opiyo had not been finally determined in court.
Claire’s long recovery
The attack left Claire with extensive injuries to her face and other parts of her body.
In June, Claire spoke publicly about the ordeal and described what she said was a difficult relationship with Opiyo before the attack. She alleged that she had experienced previous incidents of violence and harassment.
Her account was part of a broader investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack. Opiyo, however, did not get an opportunity to answer those allegations in a completed trial.
Claire’s supporters have since organised fundraising efforts to help meet the cost of her medical treatment and rehabilitation.
The case also attracted attention from several public figures and church groups, with calls for Claire to receive protection and access to specialised medical care.
Tributes emerge from SDA music circles
News of Opiyo’s death has since spread through the SDA music community, where he was known as a gospel singer and minister.
Several ministries, including Lighthouse Ministries, Lamb Ministers and Heavenly Echoes Ministers Kenya, have mourned him.
Lamb Ministers described him as a fellow minister and “brother in Christ”, while extending condolences to his family and members of Lighthouse Ministries.
The tributes have come against the backdrop of the serious allegations that had followed Opiyo since the acid attack.
The death now leaves a major unanswered question over the future of the criminal proceedings against him.
For now, police are focused on establishing how he died.
The post-mortem examination is expected to provide further information. Until then, police have not publicly confirmed that the death was suicide.
The circumstances surrounding both his death and the wider acid-attack case remain under investigation.
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