The 23-year-old man arrested and released following the death of 17-year-old Amanda Lethukuthula Masango has been found dead.

Lowvelder reports that the man, whose identity has not yet been released, was found hanging from the roof in a house in Pienaar, Mpumalanga, at about 20:00 on Tuesday.

Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane says the preliminary investigation showed that the man might have committed suicide.

“The family members alleged that they found him hanging from a rope around his neck and they had to cut him down,” says Ndubane.

The police have opened an inquest case into his death.

The man was arrested following the discovery of Masango’s body in a house in KaNyamazane on March 14, after she had left home to catch a bus to school that morning and disappeared. She was a Grade 12 learner at Lowveld High School in Mbombela.

He was later released due to a lack of evidence that could link him to the crime.

At the time, police received a call from a man who directed them to the room in which Masango’s body was found with a rope around her neck and another piece tied to the roof.

The suspect claimed he knew nothing about how the girl died and said it was his brother’s room.

Ndubane says the circumstances surrounding Masango’s death are still under investigation.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.