A suspect accompanied police to point out where the corpse of a 25-year-old male had been dumped in a river. The body was retrieved near the N4 on Friday in a joint operation by members of the police, K9 Unit White River, diving division, the Off-Road Rescue Unit Nelspruit, and members of a security company.
Nelspruit Post accompanied the group. The overgrown bush had to be hacked through with a panga to get to the Crocodile River where the group found the badly decomposed body, of which a hand and foot were missing.
According to Capt Pottie Potgieter of the SAPS diving division, members of the community had informed the police of the victim’s disappearance.
“He had been missing since
January 10.” He said they had initially arrested three suspects but only one had knowledge about the victim.
According to the suspect, he had shared a house near the river with the man. He said the victim had fallen into the river and he apparently saved him, but the man had come out coughing and retching water. “The suspect said the victim had gone home to sleep in the suspect’s bed as he wasn’t feeling well. He had defacated in the bed but promised to clean it.”
The following morning, he apparently found the man dead and because he was angry, he threw the body in the river.
Potgieter said if the suspect was telling the truth, the victim could have died from a wet drowning. He said the moment someone has water in their lungs, the air sacks start to burst. This then causes fluid and blood to build up in the lungs. “You actually drown in your own blood. He should have been hospitalised and if that was the case, his lungs could have been drained, however, the post-mortem will reveal all.”
Provincial police spokesman Sgt Gerald Sedibe confirmed that an inquest had been opened by police.
He said the suspect has been charged with failure to report a death from unnatural causes. He said no murder charge has been added as yet.
Sedibe also confirmed the suspect was set to appear in court on Monday.
