Cape Times

The grandmother of Elderico Brown, whose body was found on Noordhoek beach on Saturday, said hearing of her grandsons death was shocking. Ellen Brown wept as she clutched Eldericos photo, and described him as a loving and respectful boy. Picture: Matthew Brewer

The family of a Hout Bay man whose body washed up on Noordhoek beach on Saturday morning say they fear a crime may have led to his death.

The body of Elderico “Janneman” Brown and the rubber duck in which he and two friends had put to sea on Friday night, washed up 30 metres apart. Brown was 30.

A second man, Raymond Phillip, 41, is missing, but the third man returned to his home at Hout Bay harbour, allegedly without reporting anything amiss.

Officials from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and police divers searched the area at the weekend for Phillip. He had not been found by late yesterday.

Brown’s aunt, Mariah-Anne Brown,

said: “We are sad and unsure because we are listening to different stories. We don’t know what to think, we just want to know the truth so we can have closure. But we suspect foul play.”

Brown said the men had left the harbour after midnight on Friday, saying they were going to drop the third man in the trio at his girlfriend’s house in Ocean View.

“At 10am (on Saturday a Hout Bay resident) told us Elderico had died. The person said (the third man) was telling everybody at the harbour about the incident, but he did not come tell us. He knows where we live.

“When the police fetched (this man) at the harbour on Saturday night, we were there. He had scratches on his face and on his hands. He said it was sunburn, but later he said it was welding marks.”

Brown said she was trying to figure out how this man knew about Elderico’s death if he had been dropped off in Ocean View before the boating incident.

“When Elderico’s body was found, he had scratches on his face and his head was swollen. The zip of his wetsuit was down. (The third man) told us at the harbour on Saturday he put the phone in Elderico’s wetsuit by his chest and that was why the zip was pulled down. We continuously called the number on Saturday and a man picked up once before switching the phone off.”

Elderico’s grandmother Ellen Brown wept as she held a picture of her grandson and his six-year-old daughter. She said the little girl did not understand that her father was not returning from work and was waiting for him to come home.

His family said Elderico had used drugs, but he was caring and had loved his daughter “unconditionally”.

An NSRI spokesman said: “It is unclear why the survivor did not raise the alarm earlier.

“Police are interviewing the man to determine what happened and how he ended up in Hout Bay.”

The police were investigating several allegations, spokesman November Filander said. - Cape Times

lauren.isaacs@inl.co.za