Published: May 8, 2026
MONROVIA — The Liberia National Police have formally charged a 27-year-old Sinkor bouncer with manslaughter and negligent homicide after investigators say he concealed the unconscious body of a young woman beneath a mattress in his father’s Gaye Town apartment rather than seek emergency medical help, leaving her to die.
Thomas S. Lahun was arrested the night of Friday, April 24, 2026, in connection with the death of Annette Suah, a petty businesswoman from New Matadi Estate whose body was discovered by Lahun’s father the following day after he detected a strong odor coming from the room. A police charge sheet dated May 6, 2026, formally cited Lahun under Sections 14.2(a) and 14.3 of Liberia’s revised Penal Code.
According to investigators, the events that led to Suah’s death began in the early hours of Thursday, April 23, when she and Lahun, described in the charge sheet as “intimate friends,” met at Perry’s Bar, also referred to as Friend’s Bar Entertainment Center, on Cheeseman Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets in Sinkor. The two reportedly spent roughly five hours drinking beer and smoking shisha, from around 4:30 a.m. until the bar closed at approximately 9:30 a.m.
After leaving the bar, police say the pair proceeded to the one-bedroom apartment of Lahun’s father, Emmanuel S. Lahun, in Gaye Town, Old Road, where Lahun obtained a key from a neighbor and let them both in. They remained in the apartment for several hours before deciding to leave sometime between 2:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Police say Suah told Lahun she wanted to shower before they left. When prolonged silence drew no response to his repeated calls, Lahun entered the bathroom and found her lying unconscious in the bathtub with foam coming from her mouth. He attempted to revive her, wiping away the foam and administering first aid, but she remained unresponsive. He then called a friend identified only as “Kenny,” who advised him to either take her to the hospital or report the matter to police.
What investigators say happened next forms the crux of the criminal case against him.
As Lahun was attempting to dress Suah to take her to the hospital, police allege he saw his father approaching the house and panicked. Instead of calling for help, he placed her body on the floor and covered it with bedding and a mattress. He did not disclose the situation to his father that evening, though the charge sheet notes he later told him he “wanted to say something” but was afraid.
The following morning, Emmanuel Lahun returned to the apartment, noticed a strong odor and found Suah’s body beneath the bed. He alerted a neighbor, Paweh Coleman, who advised him to contact authorities. Police arrested Thomas Lahun later that night.
Lahun works as a bouncer at Cigar Hub on Cheeseman Avenue. Authorities have not publicly released a medical report establishing the precise cause of Suah’s death, but investigators concluded he acted recklessly and negligently and recommended the charges now before the court.
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