Missing Palapye woman found dead
Koketso Kgoboge | Friday April 17, 2020 10:15
The deceased’s skeleton was found on the banks of the river. She was identified by clothes she wore on the day of her disappearance and her Zion Christian Church (ZCC) badge that was still clipped to her top.
Her remains are currently kept at the Palapye Primary Hospital mortuary where they await further tests to establish the cause of death. The deceased who was reportedly mentally challenged left her house on February 9, 2020 to attend a ZCC church service.
After church, she did not return home. Her children, troubled by the unusual missing, reported her to the local police. They also appealed to the villagers and an extensive search for her ensued.
The police also engaged a helicopter crew to cover the ground. They combed the river comprehensively, but their pursuits hit a snag.
Over the past weekend while two villagers were collecting firewood by the riverbanks, they noticed human remains. The later reported the matter to the police.
Crime scene investigators matched the remains to the disappeared woman. Her family was called to identify the remains, and they confirmed it matched her.
Police Number Two District Officer Commanding Paul Oketsang said his office took the remains for further confirmations and to establish the cause of death.
Some villagers suspect foul play and there are some rumours making rounds that the body of the missing woman was not intact upon discovery. Oketsang also said his officers couldn’t have noted that the body was not intact because all that was discovered was a skeleton.
“We are yet to establish the cause of death and we are doing further examinations on the skeleton. I can’t confirm nor deny anything at the moment, the examinations will give us the answers,” the police senior superintendent said.
When quizzed about how they could have missed her when searching along the river recently, he said: “She was found at a place where there is a regular pool of water in the river and it created that possibility, now the river has dried up hence she was discovered.”