Murder mystery over three burnt bodies
Possible link to family missing from Joburg
Three bodies that were found burnt near an upmarket estate in Centurion, Tshwane, yesterday could be linked to a missing Johannesburg family.
Police spokesman Captain Kay Makhubele said the identity of the bodies was not known as yet but they had received a report about a kidnapped family.
“However, we have since received a call from a family member who claims his relatives were robbed and abducted from their house in Northcliff on Sunday night. We are waiting for the DNA to establish their claims.
“We call for anyone with information to come forward. We are investigating a case of murder,” he said.
The bodies were found in an open veld near the expensive Copperleaf Country and Golf Estate.
However, estate management said the bodies were discovered about 400 metres outside its southern boundary by Fidelity Security officers who were attending to a small veld fire in the vicinity.
“Police were immediately notified and are investigating.
“At this time no additional information is available as to what occurred. To the best of our knowledge at this time there are no links to the estate regarding this incident.”
A security guard, who wished not to be named because he is not authorised to speak to the media, said his colleagues discovered the bodies while they were trying to contain a fire in the middle of the night.
“We don’t know who they are,” the guard said.
When Sowetan visited the scene yesterday, blood-soaked grass and a few scattered used condoms were some of the remnants left at the spot.
A resident who lives on a plot near the veld said she had jogged past the area on Sunday morning and there was noth- ing there.
ER24’s Russel Meiring said: “It would appear that the three patients were bound‚ gagged and burnt to death‚ but is subject to postmortem and law enforcement investigation.”
Meiring said when paramedics arrived at the scene the three had already died due to their injuries and they could not do anything to help them.
“Nothing could be done for them and they were declared dead on the scene‚” he said.
Meanwhile, residents and business owners on the plots surrounding the veld had been communicating on their community WhatsApp group in an attempt to find out what happened.
“This is crazy. We just woke up to the news. I don’t think anyone was killed there‚ I think their bodies were just dumped there‚” said a resident whose plot is near the spot where the bodies were found.