Kenny Mukendi: Missing London rapper ‘threw himself into Brazil sea’, Brazil police say

Aspiring music star deleted social media accounts before vanishing

A British hip hop artist missing in Rio de Janeiro threw himself into the sea, police in Brazil say they have concluded.

Kenny Mukendi – also known as Kenny Vulcan – had moved to South America to pursue a career in music and acting.

But the 22-year-old from Woolwich, south-east London – who had appeared in videos by artists including Nikki Minaj and James Blunt – disappeared around 1pm on 13 April. He had earlier told his girlfriend, Renata Lima, he was heading home from a recording studio.

Police ruled out initial suspicions of a violent crime after his backpack – containing wallet, phone and passport – was found by surfers, the BBC reports.

Lead investigator Inspector Elen Souto said it appeared Mr Mukendi “threw himself into the sea from a viewpoint in western Rio”. She added that the rapper had a history of depression, and that his Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook accounts all disappeared the same day.

Searches for his body have now been called off.

More than £2,500 had been raised to help the family’s search via a GoFundMe page which described Mr Mukendi as a “talented, warm-hearted young man.”

His cousin Rais Bona had previously said: “He is a very important part of the family, we miss him and love him very much.”