A 17-year-old final-year student of Mfantsipim Senior High School in Cape Coast has died by suicide, according to the Central Regional Police Command.
The deceased, identified as Emmanuel Arthur, was found dead in an uncompleted building at Ola North, a suburb of Cape Coast, after a carpenter working at the site alerted police to the discovery.
In a statement, police said officers responded to the report on June 11, 2026, and found the student’s decomposing body at the scene.
A search conducted by investigators led to the retrieval of a black backpack containing examination materials, including a Geography Paper 1 mock examination paper bearing Emmanuel Arthur’s name. Two mobile phones — an Android device and a feature phone — as well as other personal belongings were also recovered.
Authorities at Mfantsipim Senior High School later confirmed that the deceased was a final-year student of the institution.
The student’s family was subsequently informed of the incident. Following an examination by a pathologist at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, who confirmed the advanced state of decomposition, the body was released to the family for burial.
Police said the uncompleted building where the body was found was fumigated after it was removed.
Preliminary investigations have established that Emmanuel Arthur died by suicide. However, police say the circumstances that may have contributed to the tragic incident are yet to be determined as investigations continue.
