Kimberley - A young Kimberley woman was stabbed and then strangled with barbed wire before she was dragged out of her home and left in the street to die.
The body of 19-year-old Lucricia Veron Moses, from Ivory Park in Roodepan, was discovered early Tuesday morning by a member of the community.
Ivory Park resident, Mary Saul, said that Moses’ body was dragged a few metres from her shack, which she shared with her boyfriend.
“We found her lying on the ground, with choke marks on her neck and a stab wound in her throat. It appears as if barbed wire was used to strangle her. We do not know how many people were involved in her death.”
According to neighbours they heard screaming between 2am and 3am on Tuesday morning before everything went quiet again.
“The deceased was staying with her boyfriend and they were regularly involved in arguments . . . there was a lot of screaming and shouting. We now realise that something must have gone wrong when all the noise died down.”
Residents also claimed that drugs were used in the shanty and, according to them, the victim’s boyfriend had disappeared.
After Tuesday’s discovery of the body, “no one knows where he is”.
Neighbour Colin Gordon believed that Moses could have been strangled to death to prevent her from screaming for help.
Another resident, Selwyn Esau, complained about the high crime rate in the area, which also has no electricity or basic services.
“The police take long to respond to callouts. There are too many people being moved to the area, including the Jacksonville illegal shack dwellers. There are more people coming here and there are not enough resources to fight crime.”
Residents on Tuesday said that they would form their own community watch group to address crime in the area.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, confirmed the incident, adding that no arrests had been made yet.
“The police in Roodepan are investigating the murder of Lucricia Veron Moses, 19, after a passer-by discovered her body in the street at about 6.30am on Tuesday morning.
“The deceased apparently suffered a wound to her neck and an autopsy will be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.”
According to Kock the police are searching for Gilliano Drude (alias Gilla), the deceased’s boyfriend, as he could possibly assist them in their investigation.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Drude or the incident is requested to contact Detective Warrant Officer Johan Nel on 082 837 7288.
The investigation continues.
DFA